Squib Puppet
by Ozma
Summary: COMPLETE. (Now with Epilogue and Notes added). Filch becomes an unwilling pawn of Lucius Malfoy. Featured characters include Snape, Sirius Black, Draco Malfoy, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville. Sequel to A Squib's Proper Place.
1. Obliviated

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter 1: Obliviated  
  
  
  
The Forbidden Forest is a dreadful place. I rarely enter its   
borders, even during the day. It was sheer madness for me to go there in   
the middle of the night.   
  
Following Draco Malfoy into the Forest on my own was worse than   
foolish. I ought to have awakened Severus before I left the Castle. And,   
I should have fetched Hagrid before entering the Forest. But Draco had   
already slipped out of the Castle like a wraith. And the boy was moving   
at a run, quickly going beyond the Castle's boundaries. I was afraid to   
hesitate, even for a moment, for fear of losing him.  
  
Over the past weeks I had seen Severus's fears for his favorite   
student steadily increase. Barely sleeping or eating, Draco was paler   
than ever. He had gotten thinner; his grey eyes held a perpetually   
haunted expression and had bruised-looking hollows underneath them.   
  
As a first year, young Malfoy had shown a sensible amount of dread   
for the Forest and the perils within. But now he moved eagerly through   
the dark trees as if he feared nothing.  
  
Clutching my lantern, I hurried along the narrow earth track that   
wound through the trees. The boy's glowing wand guided me towards him.   
At least he had slowed a bit, enough for me to catch up with him.  
  
"Draco!" I shouted, trying to ignore the terrified pounding of my   
heart. "Stop, boy! Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"Mr. Filch?!" Draco's voice was startled. He was so distracted   
that he had not known that he was being followed. "What are you doing   
here?"  
  
"My job!" I snarled, fear making my voice even harsher than usual.   
"You're supposed to be in the Castle, in your dormitory, in your bed!"   
  
"You shouldn't have followed me! You must leave here at once,"   
Draco ordered me imperiously. "You have no idea how much danger you're   
in!"  
  
"Me?! What about you, you young fool!" I snapped.  
  
"I'll be fine," the boy said, haughtily. "It's you who..."  
  
Not giving him a chance to finish, I reached out and grabbed his   
arm.  
  
"You're coming back with me, straight-away! We'll see what   
Professor Snape and the Headmaster have to say about..."  
  
Around us, the Forest had grown very still.  
  
Abruptly, I realized that the boy and I were not alone.  
  
"Pendeo," a drawling voice hissed, from behind me.  
  
I found myself lifted into the air by a powerful spell.  
  
"Draco, you have brought me an unexpected gift! How delightful.   
Good evening, Squib. Have you no insolent words for me?" Lucius Malfoy   
asked.   
  
His voice was as elegant as ever, though there was a ragged   
quality marring its smoothness.  
  
His power swirled around me, spinning me roughly around to face   
him.  
  
The resemblance between father and son had never been more   
pronounced. Like Draco, Lucius looked as if he'd been ill. He was thin   
and paler than usual. His grey eyes were haunted by the memory of recent   
pain.   
  
But the anger in his face when he looked at me, was all his own.   
The force of the rage beneath his calm manner struck me like a physical   
blow.  
  
"Malfoy makes a dangerous enemy," Severus had warned me. "If he   
should ever have you at his mercy again, he will make you beg for   
death."   
  
I had not forgotten Snape's warning. Helpless at Malfoy's dubious   
mercy was the very last place on earth that I wanted to be. I knew that   
I was not supposed to remember most of the things I'd done to enrage   
this Dark Wizard recently, but I didn't expect that to save me.  
  
It didn't.  
  
But Draco bought me a brief respite.  
  
"Please, Father! Leave him alone. Speak to me," the boy pleaded.   
"It's been weeks! I was so glad to get your message this morning! I've   
thought of nothing else all day. You still have not said what happened   
to you. Mother has told me nothing. Neither has Professor Snape!"  
  
"Both Professor Snape and your Mother have been obeying my wishes.   
What happened to me is none of your concern."  
  
"I've been worried..." Draco's voice faltered now.  
  
"Foolishness. I'm fine, as you can see. Ah, Draco, you are too old   
for such nonsense."  
  
This last was said as the boy embraced his father. Lucius held   
Draco close to him, his protests fading into silence. Malfoy senior made   
no comment on Draco's obvious pallor. But a flash of pain crossed his   
face. He held his son tightly for a moment, even after the boy had   
released him.  
  
"There. Let your mind be at ease now, boy." Lucius said, quietly.   
"I am all right. What happened is over and done."   
  
His silver-grey eyes flickered to me.  
  
"But not forgotten, oh no. At least, not by me."  
  
"Father?" Draco said, confused. "I don't understand what Mr. Filch   
could possibly have to do with anything. He's only a Squib."  
  
Lucius smiled, bitterly. "Ah. You'd be surprised how much of a   
nuisance `only' a Squib can be. Particularly that one."  
  
I felt a wave of satisfaction. I did not dare allow it to show on   
my face. Instead I did my best to look frightened, which wasn't too   
difficult.  
  
"Have you anything to say for yourself?" Lucius Malfoy asked me.  
  
"No," I whispered. "Sir."  
  
"Good. You seem to have acquired some manners since the last time   
we met. Or since the last time that *you* can recall meeting me, at any   
rate," Lucius drawled.  
  
"At least you're a Squib who understands his proper place in the   
order of things. Unlike another I could name. The Moffitts aren't really   
to blame, of course. That old fool, Albus Dumbledore, has put some very   
strange notions into their heads."  
  
Unable to help myself, I dropped the facade of meekness and glared   
openly at Lucius Malfoy.   
  
I knew that he'd meant to provoke me, but it didn't matter. I was   
fond of the Moffitt family! And, though I am not anywhere near as   
threatening as Hagrid, I still did not intend to just float calmly while   
a Death Eater insulted the Headmaster in my presence! I knew that I was   
doomed anyhow. There seemed no point in hiding my defiance. Maybe if I   
angered him enough he would kill me quickly.  
  
Draco was giving me a look of pure exasperation. "Father," the boy   
said, placatingly, "Don't..."  
  
"Petrificus Totalus!" Lucius Malfoy snarled at me. The body bind   
itself was not painful. But the thud, when he let me fall to the ground,   
jarred every bone in my paralyzed body. A cry of pain forced itself out   
through my clenched jaws.  
  
Lucius prodded my side with his boot. Then he turned me over onto   
my back.  
  
"Father, if you hurt him, there will be questions," Draco   
cautioned Lucius.  
  
The boy's face was a calm mask. He sounded completely indifferent   
to my fate. I noticed, however, that he'd moved between Lucius and me,   
blocking the path of any curses that the older wizard might want to   
throw in my direction.  
  
"Don't concern yourself, Draco. I'm not going to injure him. At   
least not in any obvious way. The satisfaction would be all too   
fleeting. And it would be a foolish waste of an unexpected opportunity.   
No, I can think of a much better use for Dumbledore's highly trusted pet   
Squib."  
  
"Imperio!" Lucius hissed in my ear, his wand inches from my face.  
  
A wonderful feeling filled me, as if a lifetime of cares had all   
been wiped away. I struggled hard, both against this vague, unnatural   
happiness and even harder against the faithless act of betrayal that   
Lucius Malfoy was telling me to commit for him.  
  
"Stubborn wretch, aren't you..." Lucius murmured. "Well. We'll do   
this the hard way, then."  
  
Harshly, he said, "Crucio!"  
  
*******  
  
I tried to resist him. I tried. But the combination of two   
Unforgivable Curses was more than I could fight.   
  
Through tears of pain, I saw the pale glimmer of Draco's   
frightened face as the boy crouched, shuddering, beside me.  
  
"I've left no marks on the old man. There will be no unpleasant   
questions asked about what occurred tonight," Lucius reassured his son,   
quietly.  
  
"Yes, Father."  
  
"Still, for your own sake, I think that it is best if you do not   
remember what you have seen and heard. It is necessary for your own   
protection. You are blameless. None of this shall touch you."  
  
Lucius's voice softened. "I am sorry, Draco. Forgive me. Remember   
only that we saw each other, we talked, and you found me well."  
  
Lucius Malfoy's voice was gentle, but the spell he cast on Draco   
was strong.  
  
"Obliviate."  
  
Lucius Malfoy turned to me. "Your turn," he said, far more   
brutally. "You *will* obey me, though you will forget who has given you   
your task. In a week's time you will return to the Forest, bearing the   
thing that I've asked you to fetch for me. You will speak of this to no   
one. Is this understood?"  
  
"Yes," I said, dully.  
  
He paused. "There is one thing more. My son is not to be punished   
for leaving the Castle. You will not give him detention. Bring him back   
inside and consider the matter ended. You will remember this!"  
  
"Yes," I murmured.  
  
His wand glowed as it filled my field of vision.  
  
"Obliviate," Lucius Malfoy said.  
  
  
END CHAPTER ONE  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: I will probably not be able to update this story as fast   
as the previous ones, since I seem to need more sleep these days. But   
writing is too much fun for me to stop doing it for very long.  
  
  
  
UnrepentantReader: Thank you!!  
  
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! Yes, Filch has taken Mrs. Norris and the   
kittens through the Doors, but the Doors can distinguish between Animagi   
and other animals.  
  
ThePet: Thank you!! Filch has "chatted" with the Castle once before, in   
"Squib Doors." The first time that he ever summoned a Door, he did so,   
after asking the Castle for help.   
  
Lataradk: Thank you!! Yes, Sirius will be taking a trip through a Door.   
Sooner, rather than later. More Lucius and Draco in this chapter.  
  
Mystical Witch: Thank you!!  
  
Emma: Thank you!!  
  
Helen: Thank you!! You're right about Filch having a last quiet time   
before something happens.   
  
Interesting idea about a Squib's quarry being affected by the Squib's   
searching for them. I gave it some thought.   
  
When the Squib uses their searching talent to find someone that they   
care for; a friend or a family member, the one being sought definitely   
feels no discomfort. Seeking the familiarity of someone else's magic   
because that person makes you feel safe, loved and reminds you of home,   
should not be painful or unpleasant for any of the people involved.  
  
(Poor Callandra would have a hard time getting volunteers to practice   
on. She wouldn't want to hurt Neville, her brother or her room-mates.)  
  
But, if the Squib has learned to use their searching talent to find a   
witch or wizard that they have no close relationship to, or emotional   
bond with, as part of an Auror's investigation, it makes sense that it   
could be unpleasant for the Squib's quarry. I rather like that idea!   
(Especially the image of Callandra's "searching" making Death Eaters   
feel ill.)  
  
Melodie: Thank you!! Severus will keep Azoth. (Or, from Azoth's point of   
view, he will keep Severus.)  
  
Quoth the Raven: Thank you!! I agree that Snape ought to be able to let   
go of the past for his own sake.  
  
Yes, it meant a lot for Filch to hear that he would have made a good   
Hufflepuff, especially from Severus whom he respects. Though Severus   
would vehemently deny that he was trying to bolster Filch's ego. "I said   
that he would have made an excellent Hufflepuff. He chose to be   
complimented."  
  
Azoth may look like a small, cuddly kitten, but he considers himself the   
Prince of Darkness. In between his regular duties, which will include   
keeping his favorite wizard's rooms safe from rats, mice, stray bits of   
dust and any spare socks that Severus might leave lying about, Azoth   
will also diligently practice lurking in the Potions classroom, and he   
will work hard at pefecting his best cold, unblinking stare to be   
directed at anyone who annoys Snape.   
  
Scampering madly about the classroom, chasing the trailing ends of   
Snape's robes will tend to ruin the "Prince of Darkness" image that   
Azoth is attempting to cultivate but he'll outgrow this eventually.   
Maybe soon after he stops playfully wrestling with his tail.  
  
Demeter: Thank you!!  
  
Andolyn: Thank you!!  
  
WG: Thank you!! (I have a few ideas for a later story that features   
Snape and Azoth. Azoth may have to chase Sirius. He's the only kitten   
who didn't get to try out the comfy Animagus!)  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! And you're welcome! Sirius is going to show up   
later in this story. Moody won't let him leave until he tries to go   
through a Door with Filch.  
  
The Castle rarely Takes Notice of individuals. Dumbledore and Filch are   
the only two living beings that It's currently aware of. (Hagrid, Keeper   
of the Keys, is tantalizingly close to being Noticed though.) The   
process takes a long time. Filch was feeling those strange, frightening   
surges of magic for years before he stopped "hiding" from them.  
  
Saint Fool: Thank you!!  
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!  
  
Besnaped: Thank you!!  
  
Gramarye: Thank you!! 


	2. Sleepwalker

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"   
Chapter Two: Sleepwalker  
  
  
  
I woke up, gasping, from a nightmare that had left me shaken.   
Terrible dreams had plagued me for the past three nights. The details of   
the nightmares always faded within moments after I woke. The only thing   
that I could remember was someone speaking to me in a smooth, compelling   
voice.  
  
My sudden movement had disturbed the nine cats who were sharing my   
bed. Rudely awakened, they stared at me reproachfully. Their golden eyes   
were bright in the moonlight that shone through my window.  
  
Mrs. Norris purred. The soothing sound helped to calm my racing   
heart. Her eight kittens, nearly ready now to leave their mother,   
surrounded me inquisitively.  
  
"No, Paladin, I don't want to play. Bastet, stop! That tickles!   
Ouch! Azoth, get away from my feet!"   
  
It's hard to remain afraid when one is surrounded by playful   
kittens. The indistinct images from my nightmare had already slipped   
from my mind.  
  
*******  
  
Early the next morning, I was polishing a suit of armor near the   
portrait of the Fat Lady. A soft gasp behind me made me turn round.  
  
"Mr. Filch? Are you all right?"  
  
Callandra Moffitt stood there, her brown eyes worried.  
  
Puzzled, I frowned at her. "Of course I am."  
  
"Are you sure?" the girl asked.  
  
"Yes," I said, gruffly.   
  
I'm very fond of Callandra, but lack of sleep was making me   
particularly bad tempered. Her question exasperated me. Didn't the child   
think I'd know if I was all right or not?  
  
Neville Longbottom, who stood beside Callandra, looked from one of   
us to the other.  
  
"He does seem a bit pale," Neville said, to Callandra. "Do you see   
something more than that?"  
  
My exasperation increased. I am also very fond of Neville, but the   
two of them were speaking about me as if I was something from their Care   
of Magical Creatures class!  
  
Callandra nodded, frowning. "There's something around him.   
Something that ...hurts. It's hard to explain."   
  
The girl shivered. "Neville, can't you feel it?"  
  
Neville shook his head. "It must be a Squib-thing," the boy said.  
  
"It is *not* a Squib-thing," I snapped, glowering. "If it was,   
then I would be able to feel it too, wouldn't I?"  
  
The two of them exchanged a meaningful glance; the sort of look   
that seems to contain an entire converstaion, but they said nothing   
aloud.  
  
"Hurry along, now. You'll be late for breakfast. I have work to do   
and you're keeping me from it!" I said, testily.  
  
*******  
  
A bit later, Ginny Weasley also asked me if I was all right.  
  
"I'm perfectly fine!" I growled. Then I bit my tongue. I can yell   
at almost anyone without regretting it, but snarling at Ginny always   
makes me feel dreadful.  
  
"Merlin's Beard, child. I'm sorry. I'm just tired. Have you ever   
tried to sleep with nine cats using you for a Quidditch pitch?"  
  
She laughed, which made me feel a bit better. Then she continued   
on to breakfast, and I continued polishing.  
  
*******  
  
That night I awakened, shuddering, from another dream. I managed   
to hold fast to some memories before they could slip from my mind. There   
had been tall trees around me and a powerful Dark Wizard who had held   
me, helpless. The smooth, compelling voice had been his.   
  
There had been a boy there, too. He had stood between me and the   
Dark one. A boy I'd formerly considered one of the worst brats in the   
school...   
  
I had a vague recollection of pale eyes in a thin, haggard face.   
No, perhaps the boy had grey eyes?  
  
I sighed. The rest of the dream's details had faded.  
  
At least I'd managed not to disturb the kittens this time. The   
little furballs were piled up in a sleep-heap, after a long day spent   
creating havoc.   
  
Mrs. Norris slept beside her offspring. As much as she would miss   
them, I knew that she was looking forward to seeing them settled, each   
one with the witch or wizard of their choice.  
  
I ran my hand gently along her back until I drifted back to sleep.  
  
*******  
  
I woke again before morning, unable to remember if I'd been   
dreaming or not.   
  
To my terror, I discovered that I was not in my bed, or even in my   
room!   
  
Red-and-gold was at my back. I had just stepped through the   
tapestry into the corridor in front of the stone gargoyle. The   
especially ugly one that guards the entrance to Dumbledore's office.  
  
Professor Flitwick had placed his Unreachable Charms in and around   
the Headmaster's rooms. Had the Door been trying to bring me to   
Dumbledore?  
  
What was I doing here, in my nightshirt? I did not remember   
summoning red-and-gold. Was I looking for the Headmaster? Why?  
  
Sleepwalking was something that I had never done before. The   
thought that I had apparently just sleepwalked through my Door made me   
tremble.  
  
What was wrong with me?  
  
Sending red-and-gold away, I stumbled away from the stone gargoyle   
and wandered the Castle corridors aimlessly.   
  
I found myself roaming through the echoing Great Hall. The   
enchanted starry night sky looked down on empty chairs and empty tables.   
After I'd circled the staff table several times, my restless journey   
took me out into the entrance hall.  
  
Worn out but too afraid to sleep, I headed down into the dungeons.   
The smooth voice haunted me.  
  
At the base of the staircase there's a small shadowy area between   
the edge of the stairs and the wall. Creeping in there, I curled up in   
the darkness.   
  
Rocking back and forth in misery, I didn't realize that anyone   
else was near, until a quiet voice asked,  
  
"Mr. Filch? Are you hurt?"  
  
Gasping in fear, I looked up to see the softly flickering light   
from the torches on the stair-well reflecting off a pair of round   
glasses.  
  
Harry Potter stood on the stairs, looking down at me.  
  
Where had he come from? I had seen no one. I frowned up at him and   
shook my head.  
  
"I'm fine," I whispered, shivering. "Go away, go to bed."   
  
The boy's worried look deepened.  
  
"Aren't you going to yell at me and give me detention?" Potter   
asked. Then he frowned, ruefully, looking as if he wanted to kick   
himself.  
  
("You will not give him detention," the smooth voice had ordered.)  
  
"No. The matter is ended," I murmured.  
  
Relief flickered across the boy's face, only to be replaced by   
concern. "Callandra, Neville and Ginny are worried about you, Mr. Filch.   
They think that you're ill."  
  
"I'm just tired..." I murmured.  
  
"You should be asleep in your room then," the boy said.  
  
He came down the stairs and reached towards me, giving me a hand   
up.  
  
"Potter!" A voice snarled. It was a smooth voice, even filled with   
anger as it was. Trembling, I shrank back into the shadows.  
  
"What do you think you're doing? Out of bed at this hour?"  
  
"Professor Snape!" Harry said.   
  
The boy remained between me and the approaching (Dark?) wizard.  
  
No... Severus wasn't a Dark wizard. I had him confused with   
someone else.  
  
Snape was now beside Potter, looming over the boy.  
  
"What have you done to Filch?" The Potions Master demanded, as he   
caught sight of me.  
  
"Nothing!" Potter protested. "I was just..."  
  
"He didn't do anything, Professor," I said, struggling to sound   
normal. "I was just telling him to go to bed."  
  
"And giving him detention, I trust?" Severus sneered.  
  
"That matter has already been dealt with," I said, nomcommitally,   
to the boy's relief.  
  
"Off with you, then, Potter," Severus said, coldly. He glowered at   
Harry until the boy had gone up the dungeon stairs, out of sight.  
  
Then he turned back to me, his pale face furious.  
  
"It's bad enough that Potter has the habit of wandering around   
after hours! If he's played some miserable prank on you, I hope that   
you're not going to allow him to simply get away with it!"  
  
"He was only helping me up!" I said.  
  
"What were you doing on the floor in the first place?" Severus   
snarled.  
  
"Nothing..."  
  
I couldn't tell him the truth; that I'd been trying to hide from   
the voice in my head. Instead I blurted out the first reasonable   
explanation that came to mind.  
  
"I-I must have missed a step. I fell."   
  
The look of concern on his face made me uncomfortable. I plowed   
onwards, sticking to the complete truth now. "I'm very tired. I've been   
having nightmares. I thought perhaps a walk would help."  
  
Severus's face had darkened at the mention of nightmares. I   
suspected that he was no stranger to such things himself.  
  
"Professor, can you make me a Dreamless Sleep Potion? Something a   
little stronger than the stuff that you brew for Poppy?"  
  
The desperation in my voice made him sigh.  
  
"I have a potion already made that's a little stronger," Severus   
said. "I can give you a single dose. No more than that. It may become   
addicting."  
  
"Thank you," I murmured.   
  
"Come," Severus said. "You can bring the potion back to your   
room."  
  
*******  
  
Summoning green-and-silver, I went directly from Snape's room to   
my own.  
  
Mrs. Norris and her kittens were still curled up together on the   
bed. I envied them their peaceful slumber.  
  
Taking a glass tumbler from a shelf, I carefully poured the potion   
that Severus had given me into it. Then I put the tumbler down on my   
bedside table.  
  
I rinsed out the empty glass vial in my small bathroom, drying it   
thoroughly with a washcloth.  
  
Then I reached into my pocket. Feeling like a puppet with strings   
inexorably pulled by an unseen, unrelenting master, I took out my   
handkerchief. Slowly unfolding it, I regarded what was inside.  
  
Moonlight shone on a few very long, very bright silvery strands of   
hair. They were Dumbledore's.   
  
I'd found them caught on his chair in the Great Hall. Unable to   
stop myself, moving like a man in a dream, I had picked them up and   
taken them with me.  
  
The glass potion vial was a perfect place for the strands of   
silvery hair. I replaced the stopper and slipped the vial into my coat   
pocket.  
  
Then, numbly, I drank the potion.   
  
I lay down along the edge of the bed where I would not disturb any   
of the cats.  
  
As Severus had promised, my sleep was without dreams. I lay   
unmoving until long after dawn.   
  
Even the kittens did not wake me.  
  
END OF CHAPTER TWO  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
  
Saphron: Thank you!!  
  
Pendragon: Thank you!! Here's the next chapter!! Yes, I feel sorry for   
Draco too. There really isn't anything that he can do to stop Lucius.  
  
Liz: Thank you!! Writing Filch's interactions with Snape is something   
that I particularly like to do.   
  
Sirius couldn't have unlimited access or control over the Doors. Filch   
first gained access to the Doors because he was a Squib and their   
protective spells couldn't keep him out. But, over the years, all four   
of them became "keyed" to him, meaning that he's the only one that can   
use them. No one, not even another Squib, could walk through unless he   
takes them in.  
  
(The only exceptions would be each Founder's Heir. And even one of the   
Heirs would need Filch to take them through their Door once, in order   
for the Door to recognize them.)  
  
Though, Sirius will find out in this story what happens when an Animagus   
goes through a Door.  
  
Besnaped: Thank you!! Snape is among those who have noticed that   
something is wrong with Filch.  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!! (Begins CPR!!)  
  
UnrepentantReader: Thank you!!  
  
Gramarye: Thank you!!  
  
Darklady: Thank you!!  
  
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! I hope you had a nice holiday!!   
  
ThePet: Thank you!! I tried to take some time off, but I couldn't manage   
it. Plot bunnies were eating my brain.  
  
Rabbit: Thank you!!  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Azoth will like Harry. But, being a proper   
Slytherin kitten, he will be clever enough not to reveal this in front   
of Snape. Azoth will treat all students with cool disdain in Snape's   
presence.  
  
Melodie: Thank you!!  
  
Enfleurage: Thank you!!   
  
Lioness Silence: Thank you!!  
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!! Have a nice vacation!! 


	3. A Confrontation and A Cloister

Squib Puppet   
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter Three: A Confrontation and A Cloister   
  
  
  
"Tonight, you will bring the item to the Forbidden Forest, at   
midnight," the smooth voice in my head was saying. "You will come   
alone."  
  
I had no strength to fight. I had to obey.  
  
As I had done for the past three days, I moved mechanically   
through my cleaning chores, my manner grim and surly. I stayed away from   
other people as much as I could and barely took notice of anyone except   
to snarl at them.  
  
At least until the argument. It was impossible for me not to   
notice that.  
  
After their shared Potions class, their last class before dinner,   
Pansy Parkinson, Neville Longbottom and Callandra Moffitt had a   
confrontation directly in front of the broom cupboard where I was trying   
to put away my supplies.   
  
The door was nearly closed, and none of the children knew that I   
was there.  
  
Their argument penetrated even the haze of my distress. I listened   
helplessly, unable to summon the strength of will to go out there and   
stop the dispute.  
  
"Unbelievable... that we're expected to actually study with the   
likes of you!" I heard Pansy Parkinson say venomously to Callandra   
Moffitt.   
  
"Gryffindor will accept *anyone* these days. What's next? Muggles?   
At least Slytherin has standards!"  
  
"On the other hand, I take back all the things that I said about   
your family disowning you because of your little Squib-girl," Pansy   
continued, almost sweetly, clearly addressing Neville now.   
  
"Your family will probably be pleased that you found her! It was   
actually clever of you, finding someone who would be impressed by even   
*your* pitiful attempts at magic!"  
  
"Neville's magic is NOT pitiful!" Callandra said, with   
considerable heat.  
  
"Only when compared with yours!" Pansy retorted.  
  
"Compared with anyone's!" Callandra said, with confidence and   
finality.  
  
"You're an expert, I suppose?" Pansy said, disdainfully.  
  
"Being able to feel the strength of someone's magic is one of the   
things that Squibs do," Callandra replied.   
  
"Callie's good at any number of other things, besides," Neville   
added.  
  
"Name one other thing that your little Squib can manage, that a   
proper wizard couldn't do much better!" Pansy said, furiously.  
  
"She can ride a hippogriff," Neville pointed out, mildly. "Unlike   
some `proper' wizards I could mention, she knows enough to be polite   
first!"  
  
"Why, hullo, Malfoy," Neville added, a heartbeat later. "We were   
just talking about you."  
  
Though frustrated by my inability to intervene, I was still   
pleased that Neville and Callandra were doing well in the verbal   
wizard's duel. Hearing the name "Malfoy" sent a tremor of fear through   
me.   
  
Terrified, I began rocking back and forth, hidden behind my supply   
boxes.  
  
Then I heard a shrill mewing outside in the corridor, where the   
children were.  
  
"Mrs. Norris?" Neville said. "Is something wrong?"  
  
My cat was nudging the cupboard door until the opening was wide   
enough to admit her. She came inside and began nuzzling against me   
anxiously.  
  
Holding her close, I reluctantly raised my eyes to the doorway.   
All four children were watching me with varying degrees of concern and   
consternation.  
  
"Oh, lovely! He must have heard everything!" I heard Pansy mutter   
grimly. "We're going to get detention!"  
  
Neville and Callandra came into the cupboard, moving aside the   
boxes.  
  
I suppose that I must not have looked well.  
  
"Come, Mr. Filch. Up you get," Neville said, very gently. "We're   
taking you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey will find out what's   
wrong with you. She'll soon put you right again."  
  
I shook my head, clutching Mrs. Norris against me. My grip must   
have been uncomfortably tight, but my poor cat didn't protest.  
  
Poppy couldn't help me. No one could help me. I wasn't allowed to   
speak to anyone about what was wrong.   
  
The voice had told me so.  
  
Between them, Neville and Callandra got me to my feet.   
Reluctantly, I let go of Mrs. Norris, though she stayed right at my side   
as I stood.  
  
Callandra and Neville wouldn't listen to my protests that I was   
only tired.  
  
"No, it's more than that," Callandra said. "You've been hurt. I   
don't know why you can't feel it."  
  
"The old man was a fool not to insist on having that girl as his   
apprentice..." Draco was saying to Pansy. "Anyone can see the job's   
become too much for the poor wretch."  
  
My rush of anger at Draco was interrupted by a sudden, painfully   
vivid flash of memory. I saw the pale boy surrounded by tall trees,   
moving bravely to stand between an angry Dark Wizard and me.  
  
I shivered.   
  
Supporting me, Neville glared at Draco.   
  
"Mr. Filch will be all right soon, and the job isn't too much for   
him! You've got a very short memory, haven't you, Malfoy? You're   
ungrateful. Mr. Filch can always do whatever needs to be done. Have you   
forgotten how he pulled those vines off your arm?"  
  
Malfoy locked eyes with Neville. "I know what I owe the old man. I   
haven't ...forgotten."  
  
Draco's voice trailed off.   
  
He was glaring at Callandra, who had started looking back and   
forth from Malfoy to me as soon as the boy and I were standing close   
enough together.  
  
"What *is* it Squib-girl?" Draco sneered.  
  
Ignoring his tone, Callandra said, hesitantly, "Malfoy...? A-Are   
you all right?"  
  
"Oh, please!" Draco snapped. "Are you going to tell me that I've   
been `hurt' too?"  
  
I had another terrible flash of memory. Draco, white with fear,   
crouching beside me shuddering, while I wept helpless tears of pain.  
  
Callandra frowned. "No. At least not like poor Mr. Filch has been.   
But there's still something... wrong."  
  
Pansy eyed Callandra, looking both troubled and mistrustful.   
  
"Ignore her, Draco. She's only trying to upset you!" The blonde   
girl said. But her hand, which rested on Draco's shoulder, tightened in   
fear and concern.  
  
I felt afraid too, as I looked at Callandra.  
  
Draco snorted. "Your highly touted Squib-senses must not be   
working right, you silly girl. I'm fine. No one has done anything to   
hurt me!"  
  
His self-assured manner made Callandra falter.  
  
But Draco's grey eyes were shadowed.  
  
"Callandra's dangerous," I thought, and the anger behind the   
thought did not seem to belong to me. "More dangerous than she knows."   
  
Suddenly, weak with fear, I knew that I had to get as far away   
from Callandra as I could. Could the voice in my head force me to harm   
her?   
  
Black-and-yellow appeared on the corridor wall near me, in answer   
to my unspoken wish. I did not use my Door. Neville knew my secret.   
Callandra, Draco and Pansy didn't.  
  
"Let me go. Please. I-I need to lie down," I whispered, stepping   
back, away from the children.   
  
"There's no need to bother Madam Pomfrey now. If I don't feel a   
little better by tomorrow morning, I will go to the hospital wing."  
  
"I promise," I added, looking at Neville and Callandra's worried   
faces.  
  
Ignoring their protests, I moved off down the corridor as quickly   
as I could, turning the corner out of sight. Mrs. Norris followed me.  
  
*******  
  
As soon as I found a deserted stretch of corridor, I summoned   
black-and-yellow, and escaped to my rooms.  
  
Six weeks ago, in a much happier time, Minerva had been my guest   
here. The two of us had admired Mrs. Norris's newborn kittens and   
talked. I remembered the touch of Minerva's hand, strong and warm in   
mine.  
  
How I wished that Minerva was beside me now! I wanted to go to her   
and pour out my fears. Even if that meant she'd discover that I was a   
coward. And even worse, a traitor.  
  
I knew that I was about to do something terrible. I was not alone   
in my mind, somehow... I felt helpless to stop myself.  
  
"You will speak of this to no one." The smooth whispering voice   
had filled my head until I could hear nothing else.  
  
Alone, except for Mrs. Norris and the eight kittens, I stared at   
the stoppered glass vial clutched tightly in my hand. It contained   
several long silvery strands of the Headmaster's hair. I longed to throw   
the vial away, or destroy what was in it. Instead, I slipped it   
carefully back into my pocket.   
  
More desolate and alone than I'd felt for many years, I broke down   
and wept.   
  
Black-and-yellow, which had not left my room since I had used it   
to enter, suddenly shifted position to the wall nearest me, as if to   
attract my attention.   
  
Weeping, I got up and stumbled through the tapestry without any   
clear destination in mind. The kittens followed me, scampering around my   
feet like overactive dust-balls. Their mother, clearly worried about me,   
padded softly at my heels.   
  
All of us emerged into a chamber that I had not seen for decades.   
  
I stared around me in wonder. In truth, I had forgotten that this   
place existed.   
  
Long ago, this sanctuary had been very familiar to me. The passing   
years seemed to have left no changes inside this peaceful haven. Gentle   
sunlight still filtered down from somewhere far above onto the waters of   
a small splashing fountain.   
  
Either the room was really open to the sky, or it was enchanted to   
appear that way. The air smelled faintly of freshly blooming flowers.   
This hidden workroom was an ideal place to rest, but this was not a   
cloister that had been made by someone who could bear to sit idle.  
  
An empty loom still stood, in the center of the room. Nearby was a   
familiar spinning wheel. Examples of a talented weaver's crafting were   
in evidence along the walls.   
  
Beautiful tapestries were everywhere. Each one was a familiar, old   
friend. All the scenes showed various wizarding folk and magical   
creatures going about the day to day business of their lives. The one   
nearest me showed a pair of courting dragons, and then the mated pair   
and their nest, full of eggs.  
  
Rugs, woven in colorful patterns, decorated the floor. The overall   
effect was pleasant, busy and cozy. The place had a long-deserted feel   
to it. Yet there was no dust anywhere.  
  
Delighted by their new surroundings, with unfamiliar sights and   
smells to investigate, the kittens scampered everywhere.   
  
Semyon and Briar chased each other across the floor, and then   
began playfully wrestling together. Bastet leaped lightly up onto the   
fountain's edge to see if there were fish swimming in the water.   
Beatrice, Paladin and Pellinore sniffed curiously, all around the loom,   
while Juno batted inquisitively at the spinning wheel. Azoth, slinking   
through the shadows like a miniature panther, found his way to an empty   
basket near the distaff. He curled up inside, purring contentedly,   
claiming it for his own.  
  
Mrs. Norris kept a motherly watch on her kittens. But she followed   
me to the fountain's edge. Still weeping silently, I sat on the cool   
stone and rested my head in my hands. My cat jumped up beside me,   
looking at me with worried, golden eyes.  
  
"I'll be safe here, at least for a little while, my sweet," I told   
her, wiping at my eyes. "I have always been safe here."   
  
It was true. Maybe, within this chamber I could find the strength   
to ignore the compelling voice, for a time.  
  
*******  
  
As Apollyon Pringle's young, scared apprentice, I had first found   
this room, many years ago. I'd been sure that my life could not ever get   
any worse. I had just spilled an entire bottle of undiluted Bundimun   
secretion while attempting to mix some cleaning solution.  
  
When he discovered what I'd done Pringle would be furious with me.   
He already had little use for a clumsy, useless Squib. Now I had wasted   
his valuable cleaning supplies! He'd beat me for sure. Maybe with the   
cat o' nine tails he was always threatening me with, instead of just his   
belt.  
  
I'd fled. The nondescript tapestry I'd stumbled through hardly   
registered. All I'd seen was the cool fountain, with water I could use   
to get the sticky mess off my hands.  
  
*******  
  
This place had been my refuge many other times. Always when I felt   
that I'd had taken more than I could bear. Hogwarts Castle could have   
easily swallowed the entire village where I'd been born. Learning how to   
find my way around, let alone how to keep this place clean had taken me   
years.  
  
The fountain chamber had always been a safe place for me to stop   
and think and catch my breath, until I felt able to get back to my work   
again, and face whatever I was hiding from.  
  
But gradually, over the years, I had lost this room. Or perhaps I   
had just stopped needing to find it.  
  
Well, I needed this sanctuary now, more than ever. I was grateful   
to have been brought here again after so many years. I finally knew   
whose secret place this was.  
  
"Sweet Lady..." I whispered, softly. "Greatest of the Hogwarts   
Four. Though I suppose you would have likely dismissed that notion.   
Glory does tend to get in the way of simply getting things done."  
  
I sighed. "I was never one of your chosen, though I suppose I   
might have been. Severus said so. I suppose that he must have been   
right. I've always felt at home here. Thank you for being so kind to   
me."   
  
Miserably, I took the vial out of my pocket and studied it.  
  
I would stay here as long as I could. Hopefully, I would figure   
out what to do, before midnight came.  
  
********  
  
END OF CHAPTER THREE  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
ThePet: Thank you!!   
  
Pendragon: Thank you!! Wow, TWO reviews!! Here's the next chapter!!  
  
Callandra doesn't feel confident enough about her powers to go to   
Dumbledore, especially since Filch (whom Callandra considers her   
superior in the ways of Squib-magic) is vehemently denying that   
anything's seriously wrong with him.  
  
Unlike Filch, Callandra has never actually sensed the Cruciatus or the   
Imperius on anyone before. She's not sure what she's sensing, she just   
knows it's Dark and painful. (She can also sense the Obliviate spell   
around both Filch and Draco, which confuses her.)  
  
Ginny and Neville are both worried about Filch, but neither of them   
suspect that he's under an Unforgivable Curse. They think that someone   
might have "hexed" him. They're also worried about the lingering effects   
of the Death Eater's attack on him in December, and the injuries he's   
suffered since.  
  
Harry is closest to figuring out what's really wrong, since he observed   
Bartemius Crouch, Senior, suffering horribly from the Imperious Curse.   
Though Filch's symptoms aren't nearly as severe as Crouch, Senior's   
were.  
  
Filch has been making it hard for anyone to help him. He's been hiding,   
whenever possible. Knowing the Castle better than anyone makes it easy   
for him to do this. He's also being generally grumpy and unpleasant.  
  
Demeter: Thank you!! Yes, I think Obliviate is pretty unforgivable too.   
And it's used so casually against Muggles, even by "good" wizards.  
  
Draco knew what he was doing when he tried to stand between his father   
and Filch. He feels that he owes Filch a debt. Filch ripped the vines   
off Draco's arm, back in "Squib Wizard." Then, shortly afterwards,   
Lucius threw Filch down the Castle steps, which isn't wasn't exactly a   
fair repayment, from Draco's point of view.  
  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!! *Does CPR again*  
  
Gramarye: Thank you!! Suspense? Hmm. I'll think about it...  
  
Lataradk: Thank you!! I tried to take a rest, but writing is too much   
fun. (I'll probably take a rest after this story.)   
  
The image of Draco standing between him and Lucius is one that haunts   
Filch repeatedly. It echoes the very vivid memory of Sirius getting   
between him and Voldemort. Harry echoed this memory yet again, when he   
got between Snape and Filch.  
  
Mrs. Norris is very concerned about her pet Squib. She doesn't think   
that he ought to be allowed to wander about on his own.  
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!! More kittens in this chapter.  
  
Andolyn: Thank you!! Lucius was protecting Draco. In case he's caught,   
he doesn't want Draco to be implicated as well.  
  
Melodie: Thank you!! I can't wait to get the tape!! (It doesn't go on   
sale for two more days here (sob!))  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Yes, Harry does know that something's wrong, but   
he's not quite sure enough to go to Dumbledore. He has, however, told   
Sirius about what he saw.  
  
Alchemine: Thank you!! Dumbledore hasn't noticed Filch's odd behavior,   
because Filch has been trying to avoid him. Subliminally, he knows that   
Dumbledore is in some sort of danger from him.   
  
Rabbit: Thank you!! Ordinarily, the house elves would have cleaned up   
the stray strands of hair before anyone could get their hands on them.   
Filch just happened to get there before the elves cleaned the Great   
Hall.  
  
Those who have noticed Filch's odd behavior don't know that he's Cursed.   
Harry has told Sirius, though.  
  
Saint Fool: Thank you!! 


	4. Falling

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma   
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter Four: Falling  
  
  
  
The Owlery is a large, circular stone room located at the top of   
the Castle's West Tower. None of the windows have glass in them, which   
makes the place very drafty.  
  
It was only a few minutes past eleven thirty at night. The   
hundreds of perches, rising all the way up to the ceiling, were nearly   
empty. Most of their occupants had taken wing, to hunt.  
  
I've always been grateful that this place isn't one of the rooms   
that I am expected to keep spotlessly clean. Replacing the straw in here   
at regular intervals is a big enough job.  
  
The windows are set rather high in the walls. They take a bit of   
climbing to reach. Pulling myself up, I settled onto a broad, stone   
sill, mercifully free of regurgitated mice.  
  
Far below me in the darkness, the Castle grounds led down to the   
dark, shadowy mass of the Forest.  
  
"Come to the Forest at midnight," the smooth, insistent voice in   
my head whispered endlessly. I knew that I would not be able to resist   
the compelling power of its command for very much longer.  
  
I reached into my pocket. My fingers closed around a glass vial.   
Inside the vial were several very long, very bright silvery strands of   
the Headmaster's hair. I jerked my hand back as if the vial had burned   
me.  
  
Desperately, I tried to think of other things. The voice in my   
head mustn't know what I meant to do.  
  
Looking around me at the Owlery, I shuddered. Years ago, one of   
the kittens from Mrs. Norris's first litter had probably died here.   
Either the foolish little beast had been mistaken for prey by an owl, or   
he had simply managed to fall out of one of the windows.  
  
Not finding her lost kitten inside the Castle, poor Mrs. Norris   
had slipped outside to search. Her heartbroken crying over the small   
crushed body she had found on the grass, far beneath the tall West   
Tower, still haunted me.  
  
Hagrid had helped me bury the tiny corpse, visibly irritated by my   
lack of tears.  
  
I'd been irritated with him, too. The kitten had been dead and my   
tears would not have changed that.  
  
Falling to pieces never changes the unpleasant facts of life. I   
could not let myself fall to pieces now, either.  
  
I had thought of a way to avoid obeying the voice.   
  
On my way here, from Helga Hufflepuff's hidden workroom, I had   
managed to slip away from Mrs. Norris and the kittens. As always when we   
roamed the Castle together, the inquisitive little creatures had soon   
darted off to investigate various curiosities that had caught their   
fancy. Dancing dust motes, dropped quills, brightly polished suits of   
armor, loose threads on carpet runners.   
  
Thankfully, at least none of them seemed to be as reckless as   
their long-dead brother. Though Mrs. Norris would still have a bit of a   
job to round them all up.  
  
I found comfort in the thought that this batch of kittens would   
probably be quite safe. Most of the beings inside Hogwarts seemed to be   
kindly disposed towards them. Even Peeves.  
  
*******  
  
I had Ron Weasley to thank for Peeves.  
  
The very first time that Peeves had set eyes on the helpless   
little waddling fluffballs, the poltergeist had chortled with wicked   
glee.  
  
"Ooooh! What have we here?"  
  
Horrifying images of Mrs. Norris's vulnerable babies trapped in   
dark, hidden places as a "joke,", or struggling with heavy things   
"mischievously" tied to their tiny tails had frightened me.   
  
Grabbing the nearest threatening item (a mop handle that I'd just   
finished repairing,) I had advanced on the poltergeist.  
  
"Stay away from them, you...!"  
  
Peeves had not been the only one interested in the kittens.   
Hermione had been there, as well as all the children who had definitely   
been promised a kitten. Some of their friends had come too.  
  
While most of the children had grabbed for the kittens, anxiously   
protecting them from Peeves, Ron had considered the problem from an   
entirely different angle.  
  
"Wait, Mr. Filch!" Ron had said. "You know that the kittens   
wouldn't have been born if it wasn't for Peeves."  
  
"So?" I'd snarled, swinging my mop-handle at the laughing   
poltergeist.  
  
"Well..." the boy had said, reasonably, "doesn't that make Peeves   
sort of like their godfather?"  
  
Highly annoyed, I'd growled, "it most certainly does not...!"  
  
And then I'd seen the look on Peeves' usually wicked little face.   
  
The wretched creature was stunned and delighted. Moved, even. As   
if he'd just been given the keys to the Castle and had been invited to   
sit at the Staff table beside Dumbledore, at the Welcoming Feast!  
  
"I'm sure that Peeves wouldn't play any pranks on his own   
godkittens..." Ron said, matter of factly.  
  
"Godfather!!" Peeves had crowed, delighted by my look of anger.   
He'd thrown out his chest proudly and turned somersaults in mid-air.   
  
"I'm the kitties' godfather, and there's nothing that Mean Old   
Filch can do about it!  
  
Unseen by the happily dazed poltergeist, Ron had given me a wink.  
  
I'd been skeptical at the time. But Weasley's clever move had   
worked. The poltergeist had never teased the kittens or harmed them in   
any way. In fact, the more outraged I acted over the notion of the   
kittens having a poltergeist for a godfather the more Peeves seemed to   
dote on them.   
  
*******  
  
Thinking about Peeves and his unlikely, but cleverly arranged,   
protectiveness towards the kittens helped to ease some of the turmoil in   
my battered mind.   
  
Slowly, I stood up, balancing on the sill.  
  
Then, from behind me, on the floor of the Owlery, I heard a   
plaintive mew. Followed by a soft, anxious voice.  
  
"Mr. Filch! What are you doing? Please come down from there!   
Please!"  
  
It was Ginny Weasley.  
  
My heart sank. I began to tremble. Oh, Sweet Merlin, no! This was   
difficult enough already.  
  
Turning my head, I saw my small red-haired friend, standing with   
my cat at her side.  
  
"Go away, Ginny, child. It's very late. You should be asleep," I   
whispered, my hand tightening on the vial in my pocket.  
  
"No. I'm not leaving. You're going to have to come down from there   
and give me detention." Ginny said.  
  
"I-I can't." I said, miserably. "Please. Just go."  
  
"You don't really want to do this," Ginny said, walking slowly   
closer, with Mrs. Norris still pacing her. "I can see that."  
  
Shaking my head without speaking, I shivered. I couldn't explain,   
couldn't tell Ginny that I wasn't alone in my own mind. The voice would   
give me no peace unless I did what it said.   
  
Not while I lived.  
  
"Don't take out your wand, child." I whispered. "If you try to use   
magic to stop me, I'll know before you start. And I won't give you the   
chance..."  
  
Ginny stopped walking. In the moonlight I saw that her eyes were   
full of tears.  
  
"Thank you, Ginny. Now, please pick up Mrs. Norris. I really don't   
want her to jump up here with me. She could fall."  
  
"If I do that, will you come down? Please? If you die, Mrs. Norris   
will miss you so much. I will too."  
  
"Ginny, please..."  
  
Mrs. Norris allowed Ginny to pick her up and cradle her. My cat   
was crying, too, the same heartrending sound she'd made over her dead   
kitten.   
  
My heart ached and I was horribly afraid, but I wasn't going to   
cry. I'd cried enough already. Tears would not change what needed to be   
done.  
  
There was another rustle of movement in the dark Owlery. Behind   
Ginny and Mrs. Norris I could hear other people.   
  
Suddenly, three more children were hurrying out of the shadows.   
And moving towards me even faster than the children, was a huge black   
dog.  
  
Quickly, I turned away from the concern and fear I saw in the   
children's faces and in the dog's pale eyes. Resisting the voice was   
taking all my strength. I couldn't let anyone stop me.  
  
"I'm sorry." I whispered.   
  
("Forgive me..." I could hear the smooth voice in my head whisper.   
I knew that these words had not been meant for me. But the sorrow and   
regret in the voice tore at me, unexpectedly.)  
  
With my eyes tightly shut and the potion vial clutched in my right   
hand, I stepped off the sill, into the emptiness beyond.  
  
*******  
  
Just as I started to fall a pair of powerful jaws clamped tightly   
around my left arm.   
  
The huge, black dog had made a truly prodigious leap. I don't know   
if the Gryffindor Animagus thought that he could possibly hold me there.   
If so, he was sadly mistaken.   
  
The two of us plummeted downwards together towards the ground far   
below.  
  
*******  
  
I could hear the four children screaming in grief and fear. Their   
voices cried out the dog's name and mine.  
  
No...! I needed to die, but not poor Black. I already owed the   
Animagus my life, several times over.   
  
I could not take him with me! It was wrong...  
  
Suddenly, red-and-gold was directly beneath us.  
  
A heartbeat later, the huge dog, his jaws still clamped tight   
around my left forearm, tumbled with me, down into the Door.  
  
END OF CHAPTER FOUR  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
I'm still not sure about the rating. Maybe "R" is high, but when Filch   
started thinking that suicide was his only way of beating the voice,   
this story got darker than I originally thought it would be. I decided   
it was better to err on the side of caution.  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!!   
  
Pendragon: Thank you!! I'm honored that you check for updates so   
frequently! I'd write all day long, if only I could. But family, job and   
housework all need some time too. (Well, at least I can ignore the   
housework. That's what I should be doing now.)  
  
Fifteen hours? (Whimper) I can't write that fast... 2-3 days is probably   
how long the next chapter will take.  
  
Poor Draco doesn't know he's forgotten anything. But he continues to   
feel worried about Lucius, in spite of his father's reassurances.   
  
I'm glad that you like Callandra! I do too.  
  
Elektra: Thank you!! I don't know how many stories there will be   
eventually. I thought I was done after "Squib Doors," but then I had   
some more ideas. There are still some partial story-fragments that I   
haven't worked with yet.  
  
I'll do my best to keep Callandra from being a Mary Sue. I like her too   
much to have her go that route.   
  
Demeter: Thank you!! Yes, while I really like the Slytherins too, I just   
could not see them being nice to Callandra.  
  
Gramarye: Thank you!!  
  
Ryven: Thank you!!   
  
Saphron: Thank you!! Poor Snape isn't the first person to miss symptoms   
in someone he sees all the time. Terrible things can go on at Hogwarts   
right under everyone's nose, like what happened to poor Moody.  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Pansy is affronted that there's a Squib-student   
at Hogwarts. She considers that reason enough to attack Callandra. I   
liked Neville's dig at Malfoy too.  
  
Harry did figure out that something's really wrong with Filch, almost   
too late. He listened to Neville, Callandra and Ginny, and he put their   
worries together with his own observations.  
  
Though, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius wouldn't have showed up in the   
Owlery if it wasn't for Ginny. Ginny followed a worried Mrs. Norris up   
to the Owlery, and the others followed her.  
  
Yes, the workroom is Helga Hufflepuff's. Your idea for the effects of   
being pricked by Helga's spinning wheel made me laugh! 


	5. Puppet On A String

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter Five: Puppet On A String  
  
  
  
Traveling through a Door had never been painful for me before.   
But, when Sirius Black and I hurtled downwards into red-and-gold, the   
usual resistance that I met with, whenever a passenger traveled with me,   
hit both of us like a slap from a giant hand.  
  
Having the Animagus dog's large teeth clamped, tight as a vise,   
onto my left forearm was painful as well. It was a pain I welcomed; it   
meant that the Animagus was still with me. I still do not know how Black   
managed to keep his hold on me, but I was grateful. A passenger lost   
within the confines of a Door would suffer a terrible fate.  
  
The resistance within the Door absorbed a great deal of the   
momentum from our fall. Painful though this was, it saved our lives.  
  
The Door released us about six feet above the grass near the   
bottom of the West Tower. Black emerged from the tapestry pale and   
unconscious. He'd reverted to his human form the instant we fell from   
red-and-gold. My left arm, freed as he Transfigured, was a bloody mess.   
  
The thin, dark haired wizard had blood on his mouth, hopefully   
mine. A journey through one of my Doors tends to have dreadful effects   
on adult passengers. Severus Snape had emerged vomiting blood. He had   
stopped breathing too. Immediate help from Poppy had saved his life, but   
Snape had been bedridden for many days afterwards.   
  
Alastor Moody had theorized that this was due to the Dark Mark   
that Severus still bore, as a former Death Eater. Moody had suffered   
lesser effects after his own journey through a Door but he'd still   
emerged terribly sick. He'd spent most of the next two days in bed.  
  
Moody had guessed that an Animagus might have more resistance to   
the Doors' protective magic. Black did seem less affected than Moody had   
been. Though he was unconscious, he wasn't vomiting. Black was fortunate   
to be out cold, he did not have to feel our painful landing.  
  
*******  
  
Unconsciousness was a blessing. It did not last long.  
  
("Come to the Forest! NOW.")  
  
The smooth voice cut into me like a whip, but I couldn't obey. I   
hurt too much to move. Even opening my eyes would have been too much   
effort.  
  
Anxious young voices spoke all around me. They sounded frightened,   
and out of breath.  
  
"Sirius!!" That was Harry Potter, sounding hoarse and anguished.  
  
"He's all right, Harry! See, he's breathing," Hermione Granger   
assured him, clearly badly shaken herself.  
  
Ron Weasley sounded as if he felt sick. "Filch is breathing too.   
But, look. His arm's a mess! Do you suppose that Snuffles chewed it up?"  
  
("COME TO THE FOREST! NOW!")  
  
I moaned.  
  
A gentle hand touched my face.   
  
"Poor Mr. Filch..." Ginny Weasley said, her voice shaking.  
  
I could hear Mrs. Norris too. She was very close to me, making a   
low crooning noise, almost in my ear.  
  
There was a gasp from Ginny.   
  
She must have finally looked over at the Animagus.  
  
"Er... Ginny?" Ron said. "There's something important that we   
haven't told you about Snuffles."  
  
"I-I'd already guessed that he wasn't just an ordinary dog! But I   
thought he was some sort of bodyguard..." Ginny faltered.  
  
Her hand, still resting against my forehead, trembled.  
  
"Harry, you called him `Sirius.'" Is he really who I think he is?"   
Ginny asked in a tiny voice.  
  
"Yes, but it's all right, Ginny, he's innocent. He never hurt my   
parents. He was my Dad's best friend!" Harry said. "He's my godfather."  
  
"Mum knows," Ron told his sister, reassuringly.  
  
"Please, Sirius... wake up...!" Harry sounded very young and   
frightened.  
  
I was relieved to hear an answering groan from the Animagus. Poor,   
brave Gryffindor. I hadn't been trying to kill him, only myself.  
  
Being alive was something of a problem for me at the moment. The   
voice in my head was beginning to overpower my pain.  
  
("THE FOREST!!! NOW!!!")  
  
Crying out in misery, I opened my eyes.   
  
Red-and-gold was back, hovering before me in mid air! I could   
reach it, if I crawled...  
  
Ron and Hermione were both staring at the floating tapestry, their   
eyes wide. Harry was still leaning over his injured godfather.  
  
"No, Mr. Filch!" Ginny cried, trying to stop me from sitting up.  
  
"Lie still! You're hurt..."   
  
Mrs. Norris helped Ginny, by jumping on top of me.  
  
I was still too weak to push them off.  
  
"So, that's a Door..." Hermione murmured. "We didn't really get a   
proper look at it from the Owlery."  
  
Ginny sighed, still holding me while I shivered. "The Doors are   
supposed to be a secret. Shall I bother asking how you know about   
them?".  
  
"Er..." Ron said, uncomfortably.  
  
"Um..." Hermione murmured.  
  
"Don't worry. If anyone asks, we didn't hear about them from you   
or Neville," Ron said, brightly.  
  
"How do you know that Neville knows?" Ginny asked, holding onto me   
tighter. I'd begun to struggle.  
  
"Never mind that now," she said. "Please help me with him! He's   
trying to get up!"  
  
My left arm was torn and bloody from the Animagus's teeth, but it   
was usable. I twisted away from Ginny and managed to fling Mrs. Norris   
off me completely.  
  
But now Ron and Hermione were holding onto me as well. Harry came   
over to help too. I could not fight my way clear of all of them.  
  
It must be after midnight now. The voice in the Forest was pulling   
me, harder than ever. I felt like a puppet dragged helplessly by its   
strings!  
  
It was then that I realized that my right hand was clutching at   
nothing and my pocket was empty! I could not obey...   
  
A small part of me rejoiced. But my heart still turned to ice.   
  
The hoarse wail that tore from me startled the children.  
  
"No, Mr. Filch, it's all right. Please!" Ginny tried to soothe me   
as I stopped struggling, put my head in my hands and sobbed.  
  
"He can't help it, Ginny. I think he's been Cursed," Harry said,   
quietly. "I think that someone's used the Imperius on him. That must be   
what Callandra's been feeling. Only, she's probably never felt an   
Unforgivable Curse before. She wasn't sure what it was."   
  
"He's been trying to fight it. That must be why he jumped out of   
the Owlery window. He's trying not to do whatever it was that he's been   
told to do."  
  
Harry shuddered. He looked older than his years, as he often did.   
"Filch isn't nearly as bad off as Mr. Crouch was. But the way he's been   
acting this past week... he reminded me of Crouch. I wish I'd figured   
this out sooner!"  
  
"What were you ordered to do, Mr. Filch?" Ginny asked me, her   
voice full of sympathy.  
  
Still sobbing, I just shook my head.  
  
"He probably can't say anything," Ron told her.   
  
Almost at the same moment, Hermione murmured, "Mrs. Norris? What   
do you have there?"  
  
Then Hermione gasped.   
  
"I can guess what he was asked to do," the girl said, quietly.  
  
Harry, Ron, Ginny and I all looked at her.   
  
Hermione was stroking Mrs. Norris with one hand. In the other   
hand, she clutched the glass potion vial, miraculously unbroken.   
  
Moonlight shone on the long, silvery hairs within. Only one person   
at Hogwarts has hair like that.   
  
Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"You give that to me!" I growled, suddenly in a rage that did not   
feel like my own, even while my tears continued to fall. "NOW!"  
  
I was helpless. Nothing but a puppet. I had to bring the vial and   
its contents to the Forest. No one must be allowed to stop me.  
  
Black was still out cold. Only four children stood between me and   
the Door.  
  
Weeping bitterly, I grabbed Ginny, who was closest. I held her in   
front of me like a shield.  
  
Any spells cast at me, would strike her first.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at me, horrified and furious.  
  
Ginny was calm, and unresisting.  
  
"It's not your fault, Mr. Filch," she said, sadly. "I know you   
don't want to do this."  
  
"Give me the vial. Give it to me, and I'll let her go..." I   
snarled.  
  
All three of the older children had their wands out. I could feel   
their magic building. They might only be half-grown, but they were   
mighty, especially together.  
  
"NO!" I cried at them. "Don't make me hurt Ginny... please!"  
  
The three broke off their spell and stepped back from each other.   
  
Their faces were carefully blank. But then, I felt the warning   
surge of another spell from behind me. There was only one wizard that   
spell could be coming from. Black.  
  
Clearly, his unconsciousness had been a ruse, at least for the   
past few moments. The wily Animagus had gotten behind me.  
  
Sirius Black was still clearly shaken by his trip through the   
Door, but so was I. Spinning to face him, I barely dodged his powerful   
Stunning spell.   
  
I did not manage to dodge the powerful blow from his fist.  
  
*******  
  
Dazed, I lay on the ground. Even the ringing in my head could not   
drown out that terrible smooth voice that was driving me back onto my   
feet. My right eye seemed to have funny lights in it and my left one   
wasn't focusing particularly well.  
  
Nevertheless, I dragged myself up and lunged at Hermione, who   
still held the vial.  
  
I could feel magic building as both Ron and Harry prepared a   
defensive spell. The spell would undoubtably have knocked me down again,   
but Mrs. Norris was suddenly under my feet.  
  
I fell over her, sprawling on the grass, but I was up again in   
seconds.  
  
Then Sirius Black grabbed me.   
  
"Stay *down* this time, and let us help you!" The Animagus   
growled, and pulled back his fist once more.  
  
"No!!" Ginny cried, catching Black's arm. "He's going to keep on   
trying to get that vial no matter what we do, unless we really hurt him.   
There's got to be a better way..."  
  
"I think there is," Ron said. "Hang on to him for just a moment   
longer, Sirius. I've got an idea."  
  
Black was far younger than me, and stronger too. I struggled   
desperately with the Animagus, while the children put their heads   
together.  
  
Even preoccupied as I was, I caught snatches of what the children   
were saying. But their words didn't make much sense to me.  
  
"...Remember Millicent's cat...?"  
  
"Ron, you're brilliant!"  
  
"...Just need to transfigure..."  
  
"Hermione's the best one to do that."  
  
"I'd better get the..."  
  
"No, Ginny, best let me do it. I'll need you to save me, after!"  
  
Black had me pinned to the ground, so I couldn't see what was   
happening. But I heard Mrs. Norris let out a highly indignant yowl and   
then Ron yelled in pain.  
  
"Got some! OW! Grab Mrs. Norris, Ginny! Quick, explain things to   
her before she claws me to bloody ribbons! Harry, here, give these to   
Hermione..."  
  
A whisper of magic danced right on the edge of my senses.  
  
"...looks perfect!"  
  
"But he'll be able to tell... remember Callandra's tests?"  
  
"Give me that vial. Inside the glass he won't..."  
  
"It's all right, Sirius... you can let go of him now." Harry said.  
  
"Are you sure?" The Animagus asked, dubiously.  
  
"Yes," Ron assured him, dabbing gingerly at a long scratch across   
his face. "We are."  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione leaned close to Sirius, whispering, as   
Ginny knelt in front of me, holding the vial. The moonlight shone on the   
long, silvery hairs within it.  
  
"Here," she said, putting it in my hand. "You have what you   
wanted. Please do be careful, Mr. Filch."  
  
That quickly, the urge to fight left me. Aching all over, I stood   
up and moved like a sleepwalker towards red-and-gold.  
  
All that mattered to me now was obeying the voice.  
  
"Someone very Dark must have put the Curse on him! What if they   
have no further use for him after they get what they want?" Ginny cried,   
worried.  
  
Sirius Black sounded as grim as the giant dog he resembled in his   
other form.  
  
"He'll have proven himself to be a useful tool, Ginny. They'll be   
wanting other things from him, I'm sure. Don't worry. He's not going to   
be facing any Dark wizards all alone tonight."  
  
I did not stay to hear any more. I stumbled through red-and-gold,   
and was gone.  
  
END OF CHAPTER FIVE  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!!  
  
Quoth the Raven: Thank you!! Yes, I agree that Imperius is the worst of   
the three Unforgivables. Pain and Death are straightforward compared to   
Imperius, which, as you said, violates the mind and the soul.  
  
Ron's talent for strategy came in handy again, in this chapter.  
  
Ryven: Thank you!! Sirius didn't get sick at all, only knocked out and   
forcibly reverted to his human form after he left the Door. Moody was   
right about the Doors affecting an Animagus differently.  
  
RownRhys: Thank you!! There's more to most people than can be seen on   
the surface and it's fun exploring the old grouch's hidden strengths. I   
figured that any Squib in a Wizard's world has to be tough, even if he   
thinks he isn't.  
  
Knock on wood, real life hasn't been too bad, lately... ^_^  
  
Elspeth: Thank you!!! I think Caius is cute!!!  
  
Yes, Filch is only supposed to deliver Dumbledore's hair. Lucius intends   
to make the potion himself. He doesn't intend to let Severus steal his   
glory.  
  
Yes, all Four Doors were made by Helga Hufflepuff. She made her own, and   
the others were gifts for her fellow Founders. I confess to being a   
major fan of Hufflepuff too. The ones who work hard are the ones who get   
really get things done.  
  
I would guess that Rowena has a Secret Library tucked away somewhere.   
I'm not sure what sort of retreat might have appealed to Godric... maybe   
a small room with a fireplace where he could go to rest and think. But,   
for some reason, I think of him as wanting to be somewhere outdoors when   
he wanted to be alone.  
  
Yes, seeing Sirius fall was extremely traumatic for poor Harry. I agree   
that the poor kid must worry desperately about losing his godfather, the   
way he lost his parents.  
  
Excellent call! Yes, going through red-and-gold made Sirius emerge,   
unconscious, in his human form. Though he did remain in his animal form   
while inside the Door, and it did protect him, to a degree. There was   
resistance to his passage, but no nauseous reaction at all. And his   
recovery time was measured in minutes, like a child's would be.  
  
I enjoyed writing Ron's solution to the problem of Peeves and the   
kittens. From Peeves' point of view, it's a win-win situation. He gets   
to be the kittens' godfather and he gets to annoy Filch too!  
  
Saphron: Thank you!! Moody will be so pleased to learn that he was   
right. Of course, he's not going to rest until he sees a demonstration.  
  
Filch wasn't really thinking of a destination when he summoned the Door;   
he just wanted a non-fatal landing. The image in his mind was of the   
spot where Mrs. Norris had found the kitten's body, because he'd been   
thinking about it. So that's where he and Sirius landed.  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Yes, chess master Ron does excel at seeing   
problems from different angles.  
  
I did toy with the idea of having Sirius and Filch land in the lake.   
But, then I remembered that Sirius would emerge unconscious, and revert   
to his human form immediately after coming out of the Door, so it didn't   
seem like a good idea. Filch does know how to swim, but he's not a   
strong swimmer.  
  
Demeter: Thank you!! Filch couldn't go to the professors because Lucius   
specifically said he couldn't speak to anyone about what had happened.  
  
Filch did feel all dreamy and fuzzy when Lucius first cast the Imperius   
Curse. Then Filch started fighting, hard.   
  
Lucius knows, first hand, how strong-willed Filch is. So he responded by   
combining the Cruciatus and the Imperius. (I don't know if this is   
actually possible in Rowling's world, but if it is, Lucius seems like   
just the type who could pull it off.)  
  
Rabbit: Thank you!! See note to Demeter, above, for why the Curse isn't   
making Filch feel pleasantly fuzzy. You were close, his reaction is due   
to a combination of different Curses. Filch probably would feel   
pleasantly fuzzy, if he would just stop fighting.  
  
Peeves knows enough not to mess with Minerva or Mrs. Norris. But he   
wasn't afraid of the kittens and might have tormented them if he could   
coax them away from their mother.  
  
One of the most clever things about Ron's plan is that Peeves thinks   
doting on the kittens is really his own idea.  
  
Lucius's "Forgive me" wasn't meant for Filch. Filch was retrieving   
another memory from the abyss of the Memory Charm. He was remembering   
Lucius's regret when he cast an Obliviate spell on poor, trusting Draco.   
Filch's own pain and regret for what he was about to do triggered the   
memory.   
  
Luckily for Filch and Sirius, Lucius is waiting for Filch in the   
Forbidden Forest. The Forest is off Hogwart's grounds and outside the no   
Apparating/Disapparating protective spells. So the Doors don't go that   
far.  
  
Also fortunately, Lucius can't see directly into Filch's mind. But he   
can pick up on Filch's emotions, and the fact that Filch is fighting his   
Curse as hard as he can.  
  
Thank you for reassuring me about Callandra. She does have some faults,   
but she's basically a nice kid and her faults aren't too terrible. Like   
Neville, she's shy and not very self-confident. Being with Neville makes   
Callandra feel strong and capable, the way that being with her makes   
Neville feel, so they were able to stand up to Draco and Pansy together.  
  
Filch is actually quite scared for Callandra. She's venturing into   
uncharted territory... being a Squib who Doesn't Know Her "Proper Place"   
as many in the Wizarding World will feel.   
  
Gramarye: Thank you!! Yes, Filch would definitely agree that Sirius is   
brave, noble and misguided. However, Filch would completely fail to see   
how those terms would ever apply to him. ^_^  
  
Pendragon: Thank you!! Well, two days or sooner... depending on how much   
writing time I get. An evening which I'd planned to spend happily   
writing can always be derailed without warning when one of my kids needs   
help with their homework.  
  
Alchemine: Thank you!! Ron's a treasure. He's shrewd, creative and   
funny. He may be a "sidekick" but he's definitely not Dim. (Except for   
when it comes to noticing that his soulmate is right next to him,   
probably with her nose stuck in a book.)  
  
Lyansidde: Thank you!! Moody is going to be so delighted when he finds   
out about how Sirius went through a Door. He'll want to see it for   
himself. Filch will not cooperate.  
  
ThePet: Thank you!!! 


	6. Into the Forest

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter 6: Into the Forest   
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
  
  
  
Emerging from red-and-gold, I stood, shivering, at the very   
boundaries of the Castle's protective spells. My Door could bring me no   
further.  
  
Ahead of me lay the Forbidden Forest.  
  
It was after midnight. I was late. The voice's continuous pulling   
had left me feeling dazed and weak. But driven relentlessly, I set off   
through the ancient trees, soon leaving the path.   
  
Walking was difficult. My legs were unsteady and I ached all over.   
My left arm was bloody and mangled. My right eye, slowly swelling shut,   
throbbed painfully. Tree roots made me stumble and fall. Each time that   
I picked myself up, I checked to make sure that the vial I carried in my   
pocket remained unbroken.  
  
A clicking noise echoed through the dark trees around me. I   
thought vaguely that I had been hearing it for a while, but I did not   
know if it meant danger or not. The source of the noise was between me   
and my destination, so I kept moving.  
  
Suddenly a long, hairy vine grabbed me around the middle, flipping   
me head-down. I struggled ineffectually against the impediment that was   
keeping me from obeying the voice.   
  
A cloud must have moved away from the moon, far above. A brighter   
shaft of moonlight shone down through a gap in the canopy of trees. I   
saw what was holding me. It wasn't a vine at all.  
  
It was a hairy leg, attached to a spider the size of a carthorse!  
  
I didn't have enough strength to scream. Whimpering softly, I   
curled my right hand protectively around the glass vial in my pocket.  
  
Then I heard the smooth voice.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
There was a horrifying flash of green. I waited to die. But it was   
the huge spider who fell, dead instantly.   
  
Striking the ground headfirst, I lay still with the spider's leg   
on top of me.  
  
Strong hands dragged me free from the beast's leg. When the hands   
released me, I collapsed in a heap on the ground.  
  
"Lumos!" The voice hissed.  
  
The glow of a wand revealed the owner of the voice. A tall wizard   
in a hood, a mask and a long, black traveling cloak stood over me.  
  
Painfully, I pulled myself into a sitting position. Then I reached   
into my pocket and withdrew the glass vial. My hand shook as I held it   
out for him to take.  
  
"Ah..." the wizard said. "Excellent. But, you..." the voice   
lowered, threateningly, "are late."  
  
"I-I'm sorry..." I whispered.  
  
The tall hooded wizard studied me in the glow of the wand.  
  
"Hmm. The Curse seems to have taken quite a toll on you..." he   
mused.  
  
"It's your own fault, Squib," he continued. "You shouldn't have   
fought the Curse so hard. But then, you've been foolish enough to match   
wills with your betters, time and time again. I suppose you've truly   
learned your lesson now."  
  
"My fault..." I murmured, miserably, curling up on the ground.  
  
He sighed."It was not my intent to break you. At least not yet.   
You could be a valuable pawn. Pity, to use you only once. Perhaps I   
can..."  
  
Just as he started to lean over me a crossbow bolt sliced through   
the air, towards us.  
  
The Dark wizard acted swiftly. Hissing "Mororari!" he slashed his   
wand through the air in response.   
  
The bolt froze in flight, barely inches from his heart.  
  
The Dark wizard remained calm and icy, though his breathing had   
quickened. Another wave of his wand and the bolt deflected. It ended up   
stuck, quivering, in a nearby tree.  
  
"That," Hagrid growled, "was jus' a warning. So's this. Yeh'd   
better leave him be."   
  
The huge man, another bolt already aimed, was flanked by two   
enormous, growling dogs.   
  
At the half-giant's feet crouched a small, grey cat. Her fur   
bristled wildly and her golden eyes glowed like lamps.  
  
"My brave girl..." I thought, weakly.   
  
Mrs. Norris had never come into the Forest before. But Black and   
Hagrid had clearly told her to find me. Then they'd taken Fang and   
followed her. My sweet cat can always find me.  
  
The Dark wizard laughed, mockingly.   
  
"The Forest is your stronghold, Half-Monster," he said, coolly.   
"It would be madness to confront you here. I already have what I need.   
The Squib is yours, what's left of him!"  
  
He Apparated.  
  
Hagrid strode forward. He paused for a moment, to rest his hand   
sadly on the still body of the giant spider. Then, kneeling, he picked   
me up.  
  
"It's alrigh, Filch,'" the big man said, gruffly. "He's gone. I'll   
bring yeh back ter the Castle. They'll look after yeh, yeh poor old   
git."   
  
Unable to answer, I hid my face against his coat to block out the   
sight of the Forest around us. I could not stop trembling.   
  
The half-giant carried me easily, as if I weighed no more than   
Mrs. Norris. He set off for the path, with Black, Fang and Mrs. Norris   
at his side.  
  
*******  
  
The hospital wing is a place that I had become uncomfortably   
familiar with, ever since I'd been kidnapped by Death Eaters back in   
December.  
  
Though I felt so weak that I was barely conscious, I knew what was   
happening around me. The Headmaster and Poppy Pomfrey were both working   
on me. Their magic was powerful, either soothing or painful by turns, as   
they probed my injuries; physical and magical.  
  
Deeper than any other pain was the certainty that I had done   
something very terrible, even if the details were a bit blurry in my   
battered mind. I wanted to confess, but speaking was too much of an   
effort. The only thing I could do was moan softly, when one of their   
probes hurt too much.  
  
"He's suffering from the aftereffects of the Imperius, most   
definitely..." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Used in tandem with the Cruciatus!" Poppy sounded apalled. "I   
haven't seen anything like this before."  
  
"Whoever's done this to him has created a new variation on the   
Unforgivables!" she said, furiously.  
  
"I believe that there was a Memory Charm used on him as well," the   
Headmaster murmured. "Removing it would be too much of a risk. He's very   
ill."  
  
Poppy terminated the Diagnostic spell.   
  
"At least he'll recover, given enough time and rest..." she said,   
softly. "He's a fighter, our Argus."  
  
Sighing, the Headmaster tucked the blankets around me. "He has   
certainly proven that. Attempting to resist a Curse so powerful would   
have broken many."  
  
"Now, for his arm," Poppy said, briskly. "I've already cleaned the   
wound. I woke Severus, just after I woke you. He's started a batch of   
that potion he came up with for treating animal bites. He'll start some   
bandages soaking as soon as he can. He says that he'll bring them up to   
me as quickly as possible."  
  
"Excellent," Dumbledore said, still beside me. His hand felt firm   
and cool against my forehead.  
  
"Thank you for your help, Headmaster. You should go to bed now.   
You need your rest too."  
  
The Headmaster did sound tired. "I'll go and tell the children   
that Argus will be all right," he said. "And I'll send them off to bed."  
  
I could hear the smile in Dumbledore's voice. "I seem to recall a   
number of cats out there. It might be best to let them come in. I do not   
think that Mrs. Norris and her family will be willing to leave Mr.   
Filch. Will you be keeping Snuffles here as well?"  
  
"No, I think he'll be happier back in Gryffindor Tower, with   
Harry. I'll give the poor creature a potion for pain. It will help him   
sleep. The children should conjure some pillows for him; he'll be   
needing a soft bed for the next few days. He's as badly bruised as Argus   
is. The pair of them must have taken a dreadful fall."  
  
Their voices faded as they left my side. Soon after that, I   
drifted off to sleep under a blanket of purring cats.  
  
*******  
  
My peaceful rest did not last long. Trapped in a nightmare, I   
stumbled through the Forest, holding a lantern. I was looking for a   
student who was headed somewhere he shouldn't be.  
  
I caught glimpses of him as he hurried along the path ahead of me.   
A pale boy, elusive as a will o' the wisp.   
  
Draco Malfoy.  
  
The boy was in danger. Someone he loved and trusted was going to   
do him harm. Tear away a piece of his mind and lock it away from him,   
"for his own protection."  
  
A split in the path ahead of us had made the boy hesitate. He   
clearly did not know which way he should go.  
  
I cried out to him, over and over, desperately.   
  
But the boy had vanished. I didn't see which path he'd chosen.  
  
*******  
  
"It's all right, old man. I'm here."  
  
The boy's soft drawl no longer brought another, far more   
frightening voice to mind. I would not mistake any other voice for THAT   
one. Never again.  
  
Draco had tried to warn me away. When I hadn't listened, he'd done   
his best to shield me. I remembered that much.  
  
What had happened after that? I could remember only pain. And the   
boy's frightened face.  
  
"I'm here..." Draco said, soothing me once more. "I'm fine."  
  
The Forest and the path faded. I was aware of my surroundings   
again, though I was too weak to try opening my left eye. (My right eye,   
blackened and swollen shut, had been covered with a soothing poultice   
and a bandage.)  
  
My earlier fretful tossing and turning must have annoyed the cats.   
I appeared to have the bed to myself.  
  
"Professor, why was he asking for me? He sounded so afraid. I   
don't understand."  
  
"I do not understand either, Draco. But your presence here does   
appear to quiet him. That is why Madam Pomfrey sent for you."  
  
"Is he going to die?" The boy asked, very quietly.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey expects that he'll live. Here... take the end of   
the bandage roll and start unwrapping. Keep handing the bandages to me."  
  
"His arm is a mess! That black beast of Potter's ought to be put   
down. Vicious dog!"  
  
"The creature reportedly saved Filch's life."   
  
This last statement was made in an extremely neutral tone.  
  
"Professor, I heard what's *supposed* to have happened," the boy   
said. His voice suggested that the `official version' of events could   
never be trusted.  
  
"The old Squib has been ill all week. I know that much is true.   
Supposedly, he went sleepwalking last night and had a very bad fall. And   
the dog grabbed him to stop him from breaking his neck. But, sir, I   
think, perhaps, someone hit him."  
  
"I do not know what really happened, Draco. A bandage, if you   
please? Thank you..." Snape murmured.  
  
My left arm felt hot and raw and painful. With surprising   
gentleness, Snape began wrapping bandages around the aching wound.  
  
"If someone did hit him, perhaps he deserved it. Maybe the Squib   
was being insolent..." Draco sounded troubled. "The old man just doesn't   
seem to understand that he should keep his mouth shut and his head down!   
Around c-certain people..."  
  
"He's not a bad servant, really," the boy continued. "He's very   
loyal to you, Professor. Anyone can see that. You know how to manage him   
properly."  
  
"Something appears to be bothering you, Draco." Snape observed.  
  
"No, sir, I'm fine! I-It's just that girl. And her Squib-tricks.   
She told me that someone had... that I'd been... it's nonsense of   
course..."  
  
"Tell me, Draco."  
  
"Well, sir, she says that she thinks my memory's been Modified! As   
if I was some inconvenient Muggle!"  
  
The boy sighed, his voice anxious.   
  
"She said that she's been studying how different spells feel, and   
that she's certain of it. Well, obviously, she's lying. It's a   
Gryffindor trick, that's all."  
  
His voice got softer. "B-but Pansy is worried about me. You know   
how Pansy worries."  
  
"At least the poor old man is a more useful sort of Squib," Draco   
went on, quickly, before the professor could say anything.   
  
"I haven't forgotten how he dealt with those vines. He's quite   
brave... in his way. If he wasn't so ill, I am sure he could tell me if   
the miserable girl is wrong. Even though she is his pet. With two Squibs   
we should be able to tell if one of them is lying or making a mistake!"  
  
Concern filled Snape's voice. "Draco, do you have reason to   
suspect that Callandra Moffitt might be correct about what has happened   
to you?"  
  
"No, Professor! Of course not! No one would dare to do such a   
thing to me! My f-father would...! H-he'd... He would be furious."  
  
"And how is your father?"  
  
"Quite recovered. He sends his regards."  
  
"Send him mine as well, when you write to him."  
  
Severus had been bandaging my arm steadily, all the while that   
Draco had been talking. The painkillers that the bandages had been   
soaked in were beginning to soothe the throbbing pain.  
  
I sighed softly.  
  
*******  
  
Shortly afterwards, I managed to wake myself up all the way. Draco   
had gone, but Severus was sitting in the chair beside my bed.  
  
Once more I lay under a purring mound of cats. Mrs. Norris and her   
kittens were curled up on top of me. All except for Azoth, who was   
stretched out on Severus's knee.  
  
"How kind of you to rejoin us," Snape said, when I managed to open   
my good eye.  
  
"Professor...?" I murmured, weakly, "I've done something   
terrible."  
  
"No, Filch," he said, very stern. "Terrible things have been done   
to you."  
  
Bewildered, I gave him an uncomprehending look.  
  
He sighed. "Albus has told me what he and Poppy discovered about   
your injuries and what must have happened to you. But neither of them   
mentioned anything about Draco. Tell me, what does Draco have to do with   
this?"  
  
I remembered the boy in the Forest. How he'd tried to stand   
between me and harm. But, when I tried to describe the flash of memory   
to Severus, my throat closed up.   
  
Helplessly, I started to shiver.   
  
"I-I..."  
  
"Are you unable to remember? Or unable to speak? Or both?"  
  
I cried out in misery. My shuddering grew uncontrollable.  
  
Snape hissed an oath.  
  
Then, picking up Azoth and setting him on my bed beside his   
brothers and sisters, the Potions Master took a goblet from my bedside   
table. He supported and steadied me while he helped me drink from it.   
  
The potion was horribly bitter. But it worked. Slowly, my tremors   
eased. I slumped against Snape's arm, exhausted.  
  
"Argus. You unmitigated Ass!" Snape said, bleakly. "Didn't I   
*tell* you to stay away from Lucius Malfoy? I may not be able to do what   
Draco refers to as `Squib-tricks,' but I do know Lucius well enough   
recognize his handiwork. He's responsible for your condition. I am   
certain of that."  
  
He sighed. "Albus spoke of a merging of Curses, and Lucius has   
always been ...creative. Unlike young Draco, I do have faith in   
Callandra Moffitt's talents. But why would Lucius work a Memory Charm on   
his own son?"   
  
"Rest now. This is my concern. Not yours."  
  
Again, with surprising gentleness, he settled me back onto my   
pillow.   
  
His face was troubled.   
  
*******  
END OF CHAPTER SIX  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Alchemine: Thank you!! Yes, Filch does have a special place in his heart   
for Ginny. Harming her would have destroyed him.  
  
There wasn't time for anyone to go back into the Castle for help. Though   
Sirius did send the four children back into the Castle to wake Madam   
Pomfrey and tell her that he or Hagrid would be bringing Filch to her   
very soon.  
  
As soon as Filch went through red-and-gold Sirius Transfigured and ran,   
with Mrs. Norris, to Hagrid's. After Hagrid was awake and armed, Mrs.   
Norris led the others straight to Filch.  
  
Minerva is the best one to help Filch in one very important way, which   
she'll do next chapter.  
  
Pendragon: Thank you!! Here's the next chapter... I hope to have the one   
after this one up in a few more days. Knock on wood. (Not Oliver Wood   
though, he's much too cute to knock on.)  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!!  
  
AET: Thank you!! I enjoyed the scene with Filch at the Quidditch match.   
(Yaaay! I have the DVD!!! I have the DVD!!!) David Bradley is wonderful.   
  
I was quite disappointed that the bandaging scene with Filch and Snape   
didn't make it into the movie, but the other bits that Filch was given   
nearly made up for that. And the extended Potions class scene! (Happy   
Sigh!!) I wish the extended version of that scene had been in the movie.   
It was a great scene for everyone, especially Alan Rickman!!!   
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!! Ginny is going to hug Filch as soon she sees   
him.  
  
Saint Fool: Thank you!! I didn't want to romanticize the suicide   
attempt. Suicide leaves a great, big mess... in every possible way.   
Filch really hated to do what he was doing. He just didn't see any other   
way out.  
  
Saphron: Thank you!!  
  
Demeter: Thank you!! Dumbledore, Snape, Black and Hagrid (among others)   
know who cast the Curse, but they can't prove it. I think that removing   
Memory Charms must be very tricky and dangerous. It destroyed poor   
Bertha Jorkins' mind.  
  
Snape and Draco are both back in this chapter. And Severus is not happy   
about what Lucius has done; to either Draco or Filch.  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Sirius will eventually apologize for chewing up   
Filch's arm and for giving him a black eye. Punching the old git wasn't   
as much fun as Sirius thought it would be.   
  
Ginny's tough. She handled the Chamber of Secrets well, all things   
considered. Her crying was understandable, but she didn't go all to   
pieces. The way that she recovered from the ordeal shows great inner   
strength.  
  
I did consider having Filch substitute a silvery white thread for   
Dumbledore's hair. (It was my original reason for having Filch go to   
Helga's Workroom. You can read my mind!) But then I decided that the   
Curse would not allow Filch to knowingly deceive Lucius. Someone else   
would have to get Filch to trick Lucius, without Filch being aware of   
the switch.  
  
Argus isn't up to questioning the Dream Team yet, but Ginny is. She will   
corner them as soon as she can.  
  
Larania: Thank you!!  
  
Ezra: Thank you!! Severus's debt to Lucius is part of a story that is   
still in fragments, and still depends on what Rowling may or may not do   
in future books.  
  
Rabbit: Thank you!!! (I LOVE the new chapter of BALANCE!!!) Yes, it did   
take several weeks for Hermione to recover from the cat hair + polyjuice   
potion.   
  
Lucius Malfoy had better not play "chess" with Ron Weasley again, unless   
he wants to lose. Ron knows that there's a time when pieces must be   
sacrificed, but he also looks for other ways of accomplishing his goals.  
  
Since Filch's (or Callandra's) ability to sense the Transfigured hair   
would rely on touch, anything preventing them from touching the hair   
directly would block the sense. Squib-Tricks, as Draco calls them, have   
as many limitations as regular magic does. Characters are more   
interesting when they aren't paragons.   
  
Enfleurage: Thank you!! I'm guessing that the Finite Incantem probably   
must be cast by a wizard equal to (or greater) in power than the wizard   
who cast the spell that's being canceled.   
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione might have been able to pull it off as a team,   
but they didn't think of it. Sirius has enough power, and he did think   
of it, but he was still shaky from his fall and wobbly from his trip   
through the Door. He was going to knock Filch down and try to keep him   
there until he could manage the Finite Incantem. Filch wouldn't hold   
still.  
  
Gramarye: Thank you!! Yes, whoever uses the polyjuice is in for a very   
nasty shock. ^_^   
  
Elspeth: Thank you!! Poor Ron. I'm getting the feeling that most fan-  
writers don't treat him at all well! 


	7. Visitors

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter 7: Visitors  
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
  
  
  
My memories of the first four days after Hagrid carried me out of   
the Forest were confused and disjointed. I spent those days mostly under   
the influence of an assortment of sleeping draughts and pain-killing   
potions.  
  
The Dreamless Sleep Potion was too potent to be taken in anything   
except small doses. Whenever that Potion wore off I was trapped in dark   
dreams.  
  
Sometimes I seemed to be falling, endlessly, from the West Tower   
towards red-and-gold below. Sirius Black tumbled beside me. When the   
Animagus fell with me into the Door, the brave dog's teeth slipped from   
my aching arm. He was lost inside the Door, forever.  
  
Sometimes I was stumbling through the Forbidden Forest. Draco   
Malfoy ran swift-footed ahead of me, eager to find his fate whether it   
was doom or salvation.   
  
Sometimes a giant spider clicked menacingly as it chased me   
towards a Dark wizard, hooded and masked. Evil magic roiled around him.   
Sometimes I faced him, holding Ginny Weasley in front of me, as a   
shield. I tried, and failed, to wake up before his Dark spell could   
strike her.  
  
Sometimes I stalked the Headmaster through the Castle, driven by a   
smooth, relentless voice. Powerless to speak and warn him of my   
treachery, I reached out for his silvery, flowing beard. The look of   
betrayal in his kind, wise eyes went through me like a bolt from a   
crossbow.  
  
Poppy or Winky were always there to calm me when I woke up,   
terrified, too weak to scream. They fetched a milder potion to tide me   
over until I could tolerate Dreamless Sleep again.  
  
Mrs. Norris and the kittens were allowed to come and go as they   
pleased. Mostly they seemed pleased to linger on my bed. Or nearby, if I   
was too restless.  
  
(Later, when I was feeling stronger, Poppy told me that she could   
always tell how comfortably I was resting by checking on the cats. If   
they were at ease, curled up around me, then she figured that I was   
doing well.)  
  
Whenever Mrs. Norris, the kittens and I were all resting quietly,   
Poppy allowed a succession of other visitors to sit with me, each for a   
short time. Though I was too ill to speak, I knew that they were there   
and took comfort from their presence.  
  
Lovely Minerva, with worry in her grey eyes.   
  
Alastor Moody, looking far less lovely, but equally worried.  
  
Hagrid, who'd been busy knitting something large and hideous that   
I really hoped wasn't meant for me.   
  
Severus, who watched me with troubled eyes and a haunted   
expression.  
  
Poor Sirius Black, who looked almost as sore as I felt. In his dog   
form, the Animagus limped towards my bed and settled himself gingerly on   
the floor.  
  
When Azoth, Paladin and Semyon began swatting at his tail, he   
whimpered plaintively. Mrs. Norris hissed at the rambunctious kittens   
and they left the poor dog in peace.  
  
Several times I woke to see the Headmaster in the chair beside me.   
The sight of his long, silvery hair and beard filled me with almost   
unbearable shame.   
  
I did try to speak to Dumbledore, which exhausted me. I kept   
mumbling apologies, knowing that I'd done something dreadfully wrong.   
The expression in his eyes remained grave and kind as he reaassured me   
that there was nothing for him to forgive. I must have been too   
incoherent to make him understand.  
  
*******  
  
A few of my visitors came at night. They were students, which   
distressed me.   
  
Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley came together. The   
boys looked awkward and nervous. They played with the kittens while   
Hermione murmured comforting things to me, patted my hand and   
straightened my blankets a bit.  
  
Though I was touched, I also wondered why there wasn't anyone in   
the Castle who was making sure that the children stayed in their beds.  
  
"Sneaking around at night isn't as much fun, somehow. Not when   
he's too ill to try and catch us, or even yell," Ron said.  
  
Fun! Wandering around the Castle at night led to all sorts of   
horrible things! I would have given them all detention if only I had   
enough strength to speak.  
  
Then, I remembered that I had done something terrible and had no   
right to punish anyone.  
  
At least Mrs. Norris did make an effort to remind them that they   
were out of bounds. But, when she mewed at them scoldingly, Hermione   
simply picked up my cat and cuddled her. Rather to my dismay, Mrs.   
Norris did not mind this at all.  
  
*******  
  
Draco Malfoy also visited me one night. Moving like a wraith, the   
pale boy settled himself into the chair by my bed.  
  
"Mr. Filch? Can you speak to me?"  
  
I couldn't, though I tried.  
  
"You poor, old man," the boy sighed. "I shouldn't have bothered   
you. You can't help me. Not in the state you're in. I could have the   
world's most powerful Memory Charm on me, and you wouldn't be able to   
say a word. Never mind. Rest. I'll wait until you're feeling better."  
  
*******  
  
Ginny Weasley visited me during the day, like a good child. My   
small friend tried to comfort me while I mumbled rambling, sorrowful   
apologies.  
  
Neville Longbottom and Callandra Moffitt came to see me, during   
the day also. The poor children were distraught. Callandra had been able   
to sense the Dark magic around me.  
  
"You were right, child," Poppy told Callandra. "The poor man was   
Cursed. It was two of the Unforgivables mixed up together; the Cruciatus   
and the Imperius."  
  
"We knew he was ill! He promised that he would come to you if he   
didn't start to feel better by morning!" Neville said, upset.  
  
"We should have brought him to you!" Callandra added, unhappily.   
"Then he wouldn't have been hurt! He could have died. Without Snuffles,   
he would have been killed."  
  
"He's going to be all right," Poppy reassured them. "He's getting   
a little better every day."  
  
*******  
  
Five days after Hagrid brought me out of the Forest, I woke up,   
still weak and in pain, but completely clear-headed.   
  
I felt as if I'd managed to find my way back home after a very   
long and highly unpleasant journey.  
  
As it happened, Ginny Weasley came to see me before breakfast. My   
small, red-haired friend grinned happily and flung her arms around me.  
  
"You're looking so much better this morning, Mr. Filch! How do you   
feel?"  
  
"Ashamed," I confessed, miserably. "I'm sorry, child. I've done   
such terrible things."  
  
"No, you haven't! None of it was your fault! I know what it feels   
like when something you can't control is making you do things that you'd   
never choose to do! I *know.*"  
  
Hearing Ginny talk about the Chamber, as the brave child very   
seldom did, made my heart ache.   
  
Upset because I'd reminded her of the worst experience of her   
life, I wept inconsolably. Poor Ginny hugged me once more and started   
crying too.   
  
Our distress woke Mrs. Norris and the eight kittens, who were   
resting all over my bed. The cats started nudging both of us worriedly.   
Small, grey Bastet climbed anxiously into the girl's lap.  
  
Poppy came in and found Ginny and me in tears, surrounded by   
concerned cats.  
  
She was able to calm Ginny, but I couldn't stop crying. I felt as   
if a dam inside me had broken.  
  
"I've done so many terrible things..." I cried, rocking back and   
forth in misery. "I couldn't s-save Draco! I nearly got Snuffles killed!   
I could have hurt you, my poor Ginny! And, I've betrayed the   
Headmaster...!"  
  
"He's talking about the Curse..." I heard Poppy tell Ginny. "It's   
an important step forward. He hasn't been able to say a word about it   
before."   
  
"Poor Mr. Filch...!" Ginny cried. "You never betrayed anyone!   
Please, believe me, please!"  
  
*******  
  
"Why can't we make him understand that he hasn't done anything   
wrong?" Ginny said, distressed by my continuing tears. "I thought the   
Curse was broken!"  
  
Poppy, Ginny and I had not noticed Mrs. Norris leaving, until my   
cat came padding back into the ward, followed by Minerva.   
  
"The Curse is broken," Poppy said. "Mr. Filch is no longer being   
controlled. But powerful Curses can leave deep and lasting wounds."  
  
Ginny nodded gravely, clearly thinking of Harry.  
  
"And, Mr. Filch does tend to feel guilty. Even when there is no   
need." Minerva added. Her expression was both fond and exasperated.  
  
"Here. You try talking to him, Professor," Ginny said, urging   
Minerva forward.   
  
"Please, Argus, you must believe what Ginny's been telling you,"   
Minerva said, earnestly.   
  
Her strong, slender hand reached out for mine.   
  
"We know what you think you've done. But, you did not carry any of   
Albus Dumbledore's hair into the Forest," she continued in her firmest,   
most no-nonsense way.   
  
"The children substituted a few strands of Mrs. Norris's fur and   
Transfigured them to look like Albus's hair."  
  
"W-What? They Transfigured the hair...?" I murmured, looking   
anxiously into her lovely grey eyes.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"It w-wasn't really the Headmaster's hair?"  
  
"No, it wasn't."   
  
"Then the Headmaster and the Castle are safe?" I whispered.   
"Truly?"  
  
Minerva nodded again.   
  
I knew that I wasn't a particularly pleasant sight at the moment,   
even less so than usual, but her eyes never left my battered face.  
  
"Yes, they are," she said. "Truly."   
  
"No thanks to me..." I sniffled, deeply ashamed.  
  
Minerva put her hand gently under my chin. "You listen to me,   
Argus Filch. You fought that Curse, doubly strong as it was, as hard and   
as bravely as anyone could have done!"  
  
What? Once, Minerva had told me that she thought I was strong. Did   
she really see me as brave too?   
  
Perhaps it was natural for someone as fine and strong and brave as   
Minerva to see similar strengths in anyone, even a useless Squib. As   
always, I longed to be the person that she saw when she looked at me. I   
would try to be strong and brave for her. The very least I could do was   
try to stop whining.   
  
I knew that I'd been weak and disloyal even though I hadn't meant   
to be. Thankfully the Castle and the Headmaster had other defenders   
besides me. True harm had been averted.   
  
I managed to smile at her.  
  
Her answering smile warmed my heart.  
  
*******  
  
Severus was my next visitor. When he arrived he was clearly   
furious with someone. I only hoped that it wasn't with me.  
  
"Minerva told me that Filch has finally decided to wake up. I want   
to speak to him."  
  
Poppy smiled, wryly. "Go ahead, Severus. He's in his bed.   
Somewhere under all those cats."  
  
"Are you all right, Professor?" I asked him.  
  
He looked annoyed. "I'm the one who is supposed to ask you if   
you're all right, Filch."  
  
Sharp, black eyes raked me up and down. I knew that I still didn't   
look particularly well. But, Severus was apparently reassured by what he   
saw.  
  
As soon as he'd settled into the chair by my bed, Azoth leaped   
into his lap.  
  
"Memory Charms," Snape said, without preamble. "What do you know   
about them?"  
  
"Not very much..." I said, shrugging. "Though I've been told that   
someone has put one on me."  
  
Snape's expression grew even more angry. "Yes, Argus. I know. I   
realize that you may not be able to answer my questions. If you cannot   
speak, try either nodding or shaking your head."  
  
The Potions Master looked over at Poppy, who had gone to fetch a   
large potion vial.  
  
"He seems to respond best to this one," she said.  
  
Severus nodded his thanks. Poppy moved to stand between us,   
holding the potion in one hand, the other on my shoulder.  
  
"We can make some educated guesses about what happened to you. You   
went into the Forest last week. You encountered Lucius Malfoy. He   
managed to cast two of the Unforgivable Curses on you simultaneously.   
Then, he ordered you to bring him a few strands of the Headmaster's   
hair. Do you remember any of this at all?"  
  
"Only a few b-bits of it..." I whispered, starting to shiver.  
  
"All right." Severus leaned forward. "Was Draco Malfoy present?"  
  
My throat closed up when I tried to speak. I nodded, shuddering   
harder.  
  
"The boy saw everything that Lucius did to you?"  
  
I nodded again, a whimper escaping me.  
  
"Professor," Poppy said, warningly.  
  
"N..no. It's all right..." I whispered.  
  
Severus sighed, looking weary. "Lucius used a Memory Charm on   
Draco, then? Nod, if you can't speak."  
  
I nodded, shuddering uncontrollably.  
  
"That's enough." Poppy said, sounding like a woman who did not   
intend to be trifled with. "He's confirmed all your guesses."  
  
Snape shook his head. "I still don't know *why!*" he hissed.   
"Somehow, I doubt it was because Lucius felt ashamed of what he was   
doing!"  
  
"H-He wanted... protect...D-Draco..." I choked out. Each word was   
a horrendous effort.  
  
Glowering at Snape, Poppy gave me a few sips of the bitter potion   
in the vial. Slowly my trembling eased.  
  
"Protect Draco from what? Guilt by association?" Snape said,   
ignoring Poppy's glare.  
  
I nodded, as Poppy helped me lean back against my pillow.  
  
"What a mess!" Severus snarled angrily. "That arrogant..." his   
voice trailed off, furiously.  
  
"For four days Lucius has ignored my owls! Today, finally, he sent   
me a reply. It seems that this matter is `none of my concern!' I am   
interfering in `a family matter!' `My son is perfectly fine!' he   
writes!"   
  
"He does not have to look at the boy, growing steadily paler day   
by day! Though he continually denies that anything is wrong, Draco is   
struggling against something that is making him ill! Even if he is not   
quite sure what he is fighting."  
  
"Used stronger Charm..." I gasped. "On the b-boy. Than me."  
  
Severus nodded, looking at Poppy, bleakly. "Can you help Draco?"  
  
She frowned. "Memory Charms are tricky to remove. If the one   
placed on the boy is strong enough to be illegal, then attempting to   
take it off could cause permanent damage. Probably, not even Lucius   
Malfoy himself could take the Charm off safely."  
  
Severus had his head in his hands.  
  
"What can we do? What do you recommend?"  
  
"First, Severus, you should tell the poor child the truth. He   
won't like it, but he may accept it, from you. Then, we have to treat   
his symptoms and build his strength up. Drag him in here, if necessary!"  
  
Snape nodded grimly. "Prognosis?"  
  
Poppy sighed. "I can't be sure until I've examined him."  
  
"Professor?" I whispered, shuddering as I fought to get each word   
out. "Draco... h-he... tr-tried... protect... m-me..."  
  
"From Lucius?" Snape asked, softly.  
  
I nodded.  
  
Severus pressed my shoulder gently. "Thank you for telling me,   
Argus. Poppy, I'm going to fetch Draco now."  
  
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
  
Pendragon: Thank you!! Hope you liked chapter seven too!!  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!!  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! "Soup Planet," eh? I've been that tired...  
  
Draco doesn't like Snuffles. It's hard to like a dog the size of a bear   
who always gives you dirty looks and growls at you whenever you look at   
His Boy the wrong way.  
  
Draco is suspicious of Callandra's motives. He doesn't believe that she   
would simply help him out of the kindness of her heart. Therefore, she   
must be lying.   
  
Though, Draco did refer to her as a Gryffindor. Subconsciously, he is   
acknowledging her right to be a student. He has not placed her in the   
"servant" category, with Filch.  
  
Yes, we will find out what happens when the polyjuice potion gets   
used...  
  
RowanRhys: Thank you!! I think that there are no easy fixes for the   
Imperius/Cruciatus mix. Filch just needs to heal slowly.   
  
Draco sees both Filch and Hagrid as servants, rather than equals. Part   
of it is what he considers their "menial" positions in the Castle. And   
then there's the fact that Hagrid isn't completely human, and Filch is a   
Squib.  
  
Part of Draco's protectiveness towards Filch stems from the fact that   
the boy thinks of him as a "good servant" who is loyal to Snape.  
  
Your thoughts on Filch's Stewardship to the Castle match mine exactly!   
Though, Filch himself has a hard time believing that he's an equal to   
the Wizards and Witches around him.  
  
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! Welcome Back!! Your vacation sounds very   
cool! Where did you go to find those wonderful chambered tombs? WOW! You   
reviewed every chapter!!! Thank you!!!  
  
Yes, Filch was ordered "Not to Speak" about what he'd been asked to do.   
Now, with great effort, thanks to Poppy's and Dumbledore's healing   
spells, he can speak "around" what he was asked to do.  
  
Yes, finding Filch acting like a scared child definitely spooked poor   
Harry. Both he and Callandra had pieces of the puzzle. When Harry put   
the pieces together he knew what was wrong. Though it took him a couple   
of days.   
  
Ron is a delightful person. I've been wanting to give him a chance to   
shine for ages.   
  
Filch is still suffering from the effects of the Imperius, but Lucius   
has not given him any more commands. Filch already knows that Lucius   
presents a terrible danger to him, so he's not in a hurry to meet up   
with Lucius again in a hurry.  
  
It was one of Aragog's children (grandchildren?) who died. Hagrid would   
have been a lot more broken up over Aragog. The old spider is too canny   
a creature to mess with a Dark Wizard.  
  
Your ideas for "Squib" titles made me laugh!  
  
Rabbit & Jinx: Thank you!! And Thank you!!   
  
Sirius would deny that Filch owes him a Wizard's Debt. From his point of   
view, Filch saved him from Voldemort's Cruciatus Curse, rescued him from   
the Death Eaters and the collapsing tower, And, Filch saved the two of   
them from going SPLAT on the grass underneath the West Tower. He thinks   
that they're even.  
  
On the other hand, Filch firmly believes that he "owes" Black. Black got   
between Filch and Voldemort, and nearly died for it, immediately after   
Black prevented Filch from drowning. And Black's presence prevented   
Filch from going through with his suicide attempt. He remembers enough   
to piece together what happened.  
  
Filch remembers that Black prevented him from harming Ginny. Filch   
thinks that's definitely worth several Wizard's Debts, far outweighing   
any small service that he might have done for Black.  
  
Yes, the Debt situation is very complicated.  
  
You're right, Lucius didn't consider the Memory Charm's side effects. He   
didn't think that Draco would fight the Charm. He underestimated his   
son.  
  
Poppy knows that Snape is competent at first aid. (She examined his   
Fluffy-scars long after the fact, and can attest to his competence with   
the bandaging and the potion he used.) She'd already cleaned out Filch's   
wound. She knew that Snape could handle the bandaging.  
  
Poppy left Snape alone with Draco for several reasons. One of her   
reasons was that the boy was clearly troubled. She knew that he would   
talk more freely to Snape if she was not there.   
  
Besnaped: Thank you!! I hope your finals went well!! Poppy left the   
bandaging to Snape because she was totally exhausted. The work that she   
and Dumbledore did, (diagnosing all the things that were wrong with   
Filch) took a considerable toll on both of them.  
  
Even Filch, as bad off as he was, noticed that Dumbledore sounded tired.   
Poppy was just as tired. I thought of it like a Doctor, leaving a task   
for a Nurse/Assistant to do.  
  
(Snape is probably the closest thing that the Castle has to a second   
medi-wizard, with his knowledge of Potions.)  
  
I'm glad that you asked, since I may not have thought to mention this   
otherwise. It's the sort of detail that I find hard to fit in, when   
telling a story from first-person POV.  
  
Gramarye: Thank you!! I'd guess that Hagrid is pretty quick and accurate   
with his crossbow. Any man who can fire magic through a broken wand   
concealed in an umbrella, must be a fantastic shot. He didn't want to   
kill Lucius. He was just "warning" him.  
  
Elspeth: Thank you!! Draco is going to be quite upset when he learns   
about the Memory Charm. The Memory Charm isn't going to be removed; it's   
too strong. (I'm thinking of the effect that having a strong Memory   
Charm removed had on poor Bertha Jorkins.) Draco is going to have to   
accept the fact that it's there. He may never retrieve the memories.  
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!  
  
Andolyn: Thank you!! Yes, Pansy is worried over Draco. Though she would   
find it hard to openly confess that she believes "the Squib-girl," she   
really does. Because she's observed that something's wrong with Draco   
too.  
  
ThePet: Thank you!! Draco's reaction is coming up next chapter. I don't   
want to give too much away, but I hope that chapter will answer some of   
your questions.  
  
Demeter: Thank you!! Yes, poor Draco is just a child. And he has some   
horrible choices to make. (Not that I'm going to have him choose,   
because I don't want to contradict Rowling. I'm just trying to   
illustrate the conflict going on inside the poor kid.)  
  
AET: Thank you!! No, Lucius is definitely NOT going to be calm when the   
"tainted" polyjuice hits the fan. He will blame Filch, not having   
another obvious target.  
  
Alan Rickman lost the Tony? Not Fair!!! My family watched "Die Hard"   
last night. Every time Alan Rickman was onscreen I squeaked happily.  
  
I am very much looking forward to the movie version of "Chamber of   
Secrets!!!" Oooh, Snape's Dueling Scene with Lockhart (who's going to be   
played by Kenneth Branaugh -I've seen one picture of him in costume and   
he looks PERFECT!!) is going to be GREAT!!!  
  
I'm also looking forward to seeing poor Filch deal with Mrs. Norris's   
Petrification. I wonder if they're going to have a "bit" added, where   
Hagrid tells Filch to "pull himself together?" It would serve poor Filch   
right, after his total lack of sympathy over the matter of Norbert. 


	8. Love and Secrets

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter 8: Love and Secrets  
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
  
  
  
Draco Malfoy, even paler than usual, sat on the bed next to mine.  
  
"All right," the boy said, wearily, as he looked from Poppy to   
Professor Snape, to me.  
  
"Perhaps someone *has* Modified my memory!"   
  
The admission was a painful one for the proud boy to make. It had   
been Snape, more than anyone, who'd managed to convince Draco of the   
Memory Charm's existence. The boy's trust in Severus carried more weight   
even than his belief in the evidence presented by my "Squib-Tricks."   
  
Poppy Pomfrey was seated in the chair between Draco's bed and   
mine. She had cast a Diagnostic Spell on the boy. I could feel the   
gentle flow of magic from the medi-witch to her patient.  
  
Professor Snape stood near Draco, looming over the boy like a   
concerned shadow.   
  
I was sitting up in bed, propped against the pillows. Mrs. Norris   
was curled up on my lap and the kittens were cavorting about on the   
blankets.  
  
"I don't know who did it," Draco continued, sounding both   
frightened and defiant. "How could I know, when whoever it was made me   
forget?"  
  
Severus frowned. "Tell us everything that you can remember about   
the night you went into the Forest."  
  
Draco also frowned, looking troubled. For a moment he seemed about   
to protest. But then he obeyed Professor Snape.  
  
"I'd received an owl from my father that morning," he began. "At   
breakfast. He'd been ill," the boy paused, to explain to Poppy. "For   
weeks. I'd been worried."   
  
"Father wrote that he wanted me to meet him in the Forest. At   
midnight." Draco said, watching our faces.  
  
Poppy's expression remained calm and non-judgmental. I said   
nothing, my eyes downcast, as I held Mrs. Norris. And Professor Snape   
appeared no more stern than usual.  
  
"Continue," Severus prompted Draco.  
  
"I-I went out to meet him. We talked for a little while. He was   
fine." A smile flickered briefly across Draco's thin face.  
  
"There were just the two of you?" Severus asked, quietly.  
  
Draco nodded.  
  
Then he frowned again. I felt his eyes lingering on me.  
  
"No, sir..." he whispered. "Filch... Mr. Filch... he'd followed   
me. He wanted me to go back to the Castle with him."  
  
"What was Mr. Filch doing while you were speaking to your father?"   
Severus asked.  
  
Draco shook his head. "I-I think that h-he must have caught me   
after Father and I had already said our good-byes."  
  
His voice softened still further. "I don't recall him being there   
while my father and I were talking."  
  
Troubled, the boy asked, "Why don't you ask Mr. Filch, sir? Can't   
he tell you?"  
  
"His memory of the evening in question has also been Modified,   
Draco," Severus replied, tonelessly.  
  
"Oh. I see," Draco murmured, biting his lip. He looked as if a   
heavy burden had settled on his thin shoulders.  
  
After a moment, Draco continued, hesitantly. "Professor? Do you   
think that there's a connection...? I mean, between something that   
happened in the F-Forest that night and Mr. Filch's ...illness?"  
  
"Yes," Severus said, as his dark fathomless eyes locked with   
Draco's shadowed grey ones.   
  
"I have suspicions. But no proof. Mr. Filch is unable to speak   
about what happened to him."  
  
Draco gave me a look of mingled pity and distress.  
  
"I see," he murmured once more. His hands were clenched nervously.  
  
"Sir...?" Draco said, looking entreatingly at Severus. "Please,   
believe me. I have told you everything that I can."   
  
After a few moments, he stared down at his clenched hands. "May I   
go back down to breakfast?"  
  
Severus shook his head. "Both Madam Pomfrey and I feel it would be   
best for you to rest here, today."  
  
"You may not have known that the Memory Charm was there, Draco.   
But it has been affecting you," Poppy said.  
  
I felt her gently terminate the Diagnostic spell.  
  
"You've been feeling very tired. Not eating well. Not sleeping   
well."  
  
These were statements, not questions.   
  
Draco did not bother to deny anything that Poppy had said. The   
evidence was all too plain to anyone who took a good, hard look at him.  
  
Trying not to sound afraid, the boy looked at me again.   
  
"What will happen to me?" he asked her, "Am I going to become very   
ill? Like Mr. Filch?"  
  
"No, child," Poppy said, gently, her hand on his shoulder.   
  
"You will no longer be trying to fight something unknown. You're   
strong, Draco. There are spells and potions that will help you rest and   
recover your strength. We can start you on them at once."  
  
Her comforting words were meant as much for Severus, as they were   
for Draco.   
  
Some of the strain started to leave Snape's body. But the Potions   
Master grew tense again at Draco's next question.  
  
"Will I start to remember ...things?"  
  
"I can't be sure," Poppy told him. "Perhaps, perhaps not. If you   
do, it will help you a great deal to be able to talk to someone."  
  
"You may always come and speak to me about it," Severus said.  
  
"Yes, sir." Draco's voice was barely audible.  
  
"You will need to take things a bit easy for a while," Poppy told   
him.  
  
"What about Quidditch?" Draco asked, anxiously.  
  
"We'll see..." Severus said. "It depends on how well you manage to   
follow Madam Pomfrey's instructions."  
  
Sighing, Draco obediently drank a mild sleeping potion as he   
followed Poppy and Severus to the front ward.  
  
*******  
  
Poppy had just changed my pain-killing potion. The new one was   
milder and did not work as well.  
  
All the while that Severus and Poppy had been speaking with Draco,   
my discomfort had been steadily increasing.  
  
Poppy returned from settling Draco into bed, to find me in   
considerable pain.  
  
"It can't be helped," Poppy told me, sympathetically. "The   
stronger potions can be addicting, if taken for too long. Where does it   
hurt? Your back?"  
  
"Yes..." I gasped.  
  
Most of my other assorted injuries were healing well, but my back   
ached constantly. At some point during my misadventures I'd managed to   
wrench it rather badly.  
  
I let go of Mrs. Norris, who seemed relieved, as I'd been   
clutching her very tightly. Poppy used a gentle levitation spell to turn   
me onto my stomach. Using heating charms and warm compresses on my back,   
she gave me a sleeping potion for good measure. I felt the cats settling   
all around me as I dozed off.  
  
*******  
  
Some time later, half-awakened by another backache, I heard   
Winky's small, squeaky voice.  
  
"Argus Filch is resting! Draco Malfoy should be resting too. Sir   
should not be disturbing Argus Filch."   
  
I felt the elf adjusting a fresh compress across my back.  
  
"I'm not going to bother him. Poor old man." Draco sounded weary   
and desolate.  
  
My lingering pain and their quiet voices fought the effects of the   
sleeping potion I'd been given. Caught halfway between slumber and   
wakefulness, I listened to the boy and the elf.  
  
"Draco Malfoy is having bad dreams? Sir is wanting Madam Poppy?"   
Winky asked..  
  
"N-No. I'm perfectly fine."  
  
"If sir is forgiving Winky for saying so, sir is looking very   
troubled. "  
  
"It's none of your..." the boy snapped, then he broke off with a   
sigh.   
  
"I mean ...it is not your concern," he said coolly, if a bit more   
politely. "It's a matter between wizards. Not any business for a house-  
elf."  
  
"Winky is understanding, sir. Winky is not meaning to be bad."  
  
"You're not bad, Winky. You're a very good house-elf. Not like   
some others I could mention," Draco said.   
  
"Winky...?" he continued, after a few moments' silence. "Good   
house-elves keep secrets, don't they?"  
  
"Oh, yes, sir. Good house-elves is keeping master's silences and   
secrets, for forever and always."  
  
"You only keep secrets for your master? Only for Dumbledore?"   
Draco asked, plaintively.  
  
"Yes, sir," Winky said, very softly.  
  
"Oh. I see. Because you have no choice, I suppose."  
  
"Tis part of being a house-elf, Draco Malfoy."  
  
The boy sighed, desolate.  
  
"Sir is keeping a secret?" Winky asked the boy, timidly.  
  
"What do you mean by that? I'm a wizard, not a house-elf!" Draco   
snapped.   
  
"Secrets is kept, by both wizards and house-elves, for many   
reasons, sir. Even house-elves is knowing of secrets kept for love.   
Those secrets can be very heavy ones indeed."   
  
The elf's voice was filled with sorrow.  
  
I heard the soft sound of Draco weeping.  
  
"Oh! Poor sir mustn't cry! Winky is getting Madam Poppy."  
  
"NO!" The boy choked out. It sounded more like a desperate plea   
than an order.   
  
"Don't go! Don't get anyone. Just stay here with me."  
  
Then, for a time I heard only the boy's forlorn crying and the   
house-elf's comforting murmurs.  
  
"P-Professor Snape has said that I can always speak to him..."   
Draco murmured, when he was a little calmer.   
  
"Usually, I can... I've always been able to talk to him. B-but,   
not about this. You see, the Professor and my father are angry at each   
other." Draco sighed, sounding torn and miserable.   
  
"I want both of them to be proud of me. And I don't want to get in   
the middle of a quarrel between them."  
  
"I really don't remember very much about that night at all. But,   
I-I can guess at least a small part of the reason why they're angry..."  
  
"My father always insists on servants knowing their place. He can   
be very... harsh sometimes."   
  
"The old man likes to be insolent to my father. Though he's very   
loyal to the Professor. And the Professor cares about the old man.   
There's no shame in that. True loyalty ought to be rewarded..."  
  
The boy's voice trembled. "I really can see the Professor's point.   
If anyone ever hurt Crabbe or Goyle so badly, I-I'd be furious. Even if   
Vincent and Gregory had been stupid, and probably deserved what they'd   
gotten."  
  
"N-Not that Crabbe and Goyle are Squibs, or servants, or anything   
like that," the boy continued, hastily, "but they're... well... I do   
have to look out for them. They've got far more muscles than brains,   
those two..."  
  
"At least they do have the sense to let me do the thinking. They   
m-may not always understand my reasons, but they trust me."  
  
Draco's voice was as soft and heartbroken as Winky's. "I've never   
really thought about it. How hard it must be to trust like that. To have   
faith that something you can't understand must have happened for a good   
reason..."  
  
I heard the elf's tiny sobs.  
  
"You ridiculous creature, don't you cry too!" Draco sniffled.  
  
"If Madam Pomfrey comes back now, she'll think that I've been   
pulling your ears..."  
  
Winky continued to sob.  
  
"Oh, please, Winky, hush..."  
  
I felt a little annoyed, myself. If I understood Draco correctly,   
he thought I was nearly as thick as Crabbe and Goyle! What nerve!   
  
But, my pity for Draco was stronger than my pique. I knew, just as   
Winky did, that Draco's heartfelt desire to make both Professor Snape   
and Lucius Malfoy proud of him was totally impossible.   
  
Slowly, I'd been trying to fight off the effects of the sleeping   
potion. Draco's startled "OOF!" made my eyes snap open in surprise.  
  
I saw the boy and the house-elf both sitting on the empty bed next   
to mine.   
  
Winky had flung her tiny arms around Draco's neck. She was bawling   
her eyes out.  
  
"I didn't hurt her!" Draco told me. He was patting the elf's back,   
awkwardly, looking as if he didn't know what else to do.   
  
I just blinked at him, bleary-eyed.  
  
Winky was clinging to Draco, looking simultaneously fierce and   
broken hearted. "Poor boy! Oh, poor, poor boy...!" she wept.  
  
Then, still sobbing, the elf disappeared with a sound like a whip-  
crack.  
  
"Don't ask me what *that* was about!" Draco said, defensively. "I   
have no idea what I said to upset her that much!"   
  
He brushed at the lingering traces of his own tears. "House-elves   
can be very strange, sometimes."  
  
  
END OF CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
  
Elektra: Thank you!! I have some incomplete ideas for a story that   
focuses on Filch and Minerva. I'm waiting for my ideas to become more   
coherent.  
  
If Severus and Sirius cooperate, they will interact in the next chapter.   
  
This part of the story is taking place in late Spring, very nearly at   
the end of the school term.  
  
Filch's role in Harry's Destiny? I haven't thought that far ahead. The   
idea of having a role in Harry's Destiny makes Filch feel quite nervous.   
(Though Filch is pleased to have had a role in getting Harry to remember   
to wipe his feet when he comes in muddy from Quidditch practice...)  
  
Filch's voice feels the most comfortable for me. Especially after a   
really bad day at work. (Today, I had to scrub dripping melted cheese   
off a ceiling. I am feeling very Filch-y.) Sometimes I wonder if I could   
write from another character's POV or do Third-person. But I haven't had   
any ideas really flow for me yet. I'm sure that I wouldn't tackle a   
story from Voldemort's POV.  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!! I haven't read your stories yet, but I intend to   
do that as soon as I can. Maybe even before this chapter gets posted...  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! "Squib Debt" is an excellent title. Now, all I   
need is a story to go with it!  
  
Filch doesn't realize that Harry wanders around because of nightmares.   
If he knew, he would be sympathetic, but he'd still feel that Harry   
would be safer staying in the Gryffindor room instead of roaming the   
corridors. (That mindset comes with the old grouch's job description...   
he can't help it.)  
  
Hagrid was knitting a large, ugly, but very warm and soft blanket for   
Fluffy. I had an idea about where Fluffy is now. He lives in the   
Forbidden Forest, in a comfortable cave. Hagrid and Fang visit him there   
every day. (That's where Hagrid and Fang went in "A Squib's Proper   
Place" after Hagrid brought Sirius to the Castle.)  
  
Yes, you're right... it was the powerful Memory Charm that damaged   
Bertha Jorkins' mind, not Voldemort's torture when he removed the Charm.   
However, I'm still proceeding under the assumption that strong Memory   
Charms are very dangerous to remove and bad reactions to them, such as   
the one that Draco is having, are usually best treated in ways other   
than removal.   
  
Draco knows (though he won't admit it out loud) that his father must   
have been the one who Obliviated him. He remembers something else about   
that night, which he won't tell anyone. (He was going to tell Winky,   
until she said that she only keeps secrets for Dumbledore.) He remembers   
Filch screaming. Draco knows that the Caretaker suffered because he was   
doing his job and trying to protect him.   
  
CAT scan!! Oh, that's GREAT!!!  
  
I really can't wait for the COS movie... not to mention the next book!  
  
RowanRhys: Thank you!! If asked, both Filch and McGonagall would say   
that they were "very good friends."   
  
Pendragon: Thank you!! Usually, I don't mind thunderstorms, except when   
they make the power flicker, which keeps me off the computer so I can't   
write...  
  
I figure that no one must be able to prove that Lucius is a Dark Wizard.   
He covers his tracks very well. Dumbledore doesn't attack Lucius openly   
because he can't offer proof without betraying Snape. And, yes, the   
Ministry is pig-headed.  
  
Gramarye: Thank you!! Filch is never going to be casual about students   
roaming the corridors at night. It's just not in him.  
  
If pressed, Minerva might say that Argus is "a very dear friend." Filch,   
if he heard this, would become flustered, embarrassed and tongue-tied.  
  
(Filch: "Dear?" Oh, my. I wouldn't want her to think that I'm too   
forward...  
  
Hagrid: Don't yeh mean "BACKWARD," yeh git?)  
  
Alchemine: Thank you!! Yes, all the way back in "The Squib and the Death   
Eaters" Mrs. Norris was Filch's only visitor. He has come a long way.  
  
Yes, Filch told Snape that Draco tried to protect him to comfort the   
Potions Master.  
  
I think that small, subtle "nudges" against Draco's sense of honor and   
responsibility might be more effective at getting him to turn away from   
the Dark than a full scale "frontal assault" would be.  
  
Besnaped: Thank you!!  
  
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! I also pictured Severus as a detective in   
Chapter 7. The Tombs in Orkney sound so cool!  
  
Demeter: Thank you!! Another character who has reasons to fear for Draco   
added her bit this chapter. Like you, I am hoping that Rowling will show   
other dimensions in the Slytherin students. I really hope she's leading   
up to that... Dumbledore did say, in the first book, that people are   
free to choose what they are.  
  
At least until Draco decides one way or the other in the actual books,   
I'm going to try to show him as being capable of choosing the Light.  
  
Emma: Thank you!!  
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!! Yes, ff.net's been acting weird lately. I've   
been having trouble logging on sometimes. And sometimes, I can't even   
get onto the site.  
  
Enfleurage: Thank you!!  
  
Rabbit and Jinx: Thank you!! And Thank you!! Severus doesn't know about   
the Transfigured hair, it's not common knowledge. Neither is the fact   
that Filch was Cursed into nearly betraying Dumbledore.  
  
Minerva is one of the few people who was told the whole story because   
Hermione needed to ask her a question.   
  
(Hermione asked Sirius the same question and he didn't know the answer.   
Minerva didn't know the answer either, but she can't wait to find out.   
Eventually, Severus will be the one who knows the answer, and Minerva   
and Sirius will ask him. Both question and answer will be revealed   
eventually.) 


	9. Just Desserts

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Chapter 9: Just Desserts  
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
  
  
  
As the days passed, I slowly grew stronger. The kittens continued   
to spend a great deal of time either lying on my bed or scampering about   
in the hospital ward. When Poppy allowed me to have more visitors, I was   
often surrounded by children as well as by rambunctious kittens.  
  
Generally, I would say that Poppy Pomfrey has far more patience   
than I do. But I could tell that her forbearance was nearing its limits.  
  
"You can't keep the children out," I protested, when she grumbled.   
"The Creeveys and the Morgans, and Hannah, Daniel and Ginny have all   
been so patient. It wouldn't be fair to keep them away from their   
kittens."  
  
I didn't have to add that the children had also been deprived of   
their kittens' company during the whole week that I'd spent confused and   
ill, under Malfoy's Double-Curse. My guilt and sorrow must have been   
obvious. Poppy relented.  
  
But, when the kittens were completely weaned, Poppy was even more   
relieved about it than I was.  
  
Still confined to my bed, I comforted Mrs. Norris. My cat seemed   
to have mixed feelings about her little ones going off on their own.  
  
"There, there, my sweet. You've done a splendid job with them and   
they'll be fine," I soothed her.   
  
Hermione, teary eyed and full of last minute instructions,   
formally gave Bastet to Ginny, Juno to Lilith, and Beatrice to Gehenna,   
Pellinore to Colin, Paladin to Dennis, Briar to Hannah, and Semyon to   
Daniel.  
  
*******  
  
Several weeks earlier, Minerva had translated some tidbits of   
feline parental advice, as given by Crookshanks and Mrs. Norris to the   
kittens, on the subject of selecting a companion.  
  
"Crookshanks advises that young humans are quite affectionate,   
extremely playful and very easy to train properly. Especially if the   
kittens have the good sense to choose themselves a clever one," Minerva   
had told me, gravely.  
  
"Oh?" I'd murmured. "And what does Mrs. Norris have to say about   
this?"  
  
"She agrees with Crookshanks, though she points out that young   
humans can also be quite messy. Not to mention overly curious, which   
often leads them to wander about in places where they ought not to be,"   
Minerva had said.   
  
I nodded, pleased with my cat's good sense.  
  
"Mrs. Norris goes on to say that a fully grown companion can be   
much more attentive, patient and gentle..."  
  
I smiled.   
  
"and, is usually well worth the occasional extra effort required,"   
Minerva had concluded, dryly.  
  
"Extra Effort, eh?" I'd muttered, gruffly. "Hmmph!"  
  
*******  
  
Seven of the kittens had taken the "children are easy to train"   
option.   
  
But Azoth had opted to follow the "adults are worth the extra   
effort" route. On the day in question, his chosen wizard had thus far   
remained conspicuous by his absence.  
  
"Professor Snape hasn't forgotten, I'm sure!" Lilith Morgan   
assured Hermione and me.  
  
"An owl came to him, this morning at breakfast..." Gehenna added.   
"It seemed to be about something very important. He left the Castle   
immediately after his last class. There's a note on his office door..."  
  
Azoth was washing his small whiskers, attempting to look   
unconcerned. But his eyes were wide and his tail was fluffed out in   
anxiety.   
  
Looking at the kitten, and listening to the Morgan sisters, I felt   
a surge of foreboding too. An urgent message? Something important enough   
to make Severus rush away from the Castle? What could it be?  
  
"Not the Dark Lord..." I told myself. "The Evil One has far worse   
ways of summoning people. Surely, He Who Must Not Be Named wouldn't do   
something so ordinary as send an owl..."  
  
Lucius Malfoy then? What did he want with Severus?  
  
The pale haired Dark wizard would have been gratified by my   
reaction to the merest thought of him. I shuddered.  
  
"Did this message seem to upset the Professor?" I asked, trying   
not to sound as bothered as I felt.  
  
Hermione and Ginny were as interested in the answer as I was.  
  
Lilith and Gehenna looked at each other.  
  
"He didn't seem upset, exactly..." Lilith said, after a moment.   
She was busily rubbing Juno's ears while the kitten purred up a storm.  
  
"I think that he seemed more ...exasperated," Gehenna said, in   
between giggles as Beatrice climbed up her robe to wrap herself around   
the girl's small shoulder.  
  
"Exasperated?" I wondered, baffled.  
  
Hermione and Ginny exchanged a glance and grinned.  
  
*******  
  
Poppy had been looking forward to a more peaceful hospital ward,   
once the kittens were no longer full-time residents. Now that her goal   
was within her grasp, she could afford to be generous.  
  
She didn't object when the kittens and their young owners chose to   
linger for a while.  
  
But, when Harry and Ron came into the ward, levitating a dripping   
wet, whimpering Snuffles between them, poor Poppy finally reached the   
end of her patience.  
  
Firmly, the medi-witch sent all the children and the kittens   
(except for Azoth, who looked smug at being allowed to stay) out of the   
hospital wing.   
  
Though she was sympathetic to Harry's concern for Sirius, she sent   
him and Ron away with the other children as well.  
  
"I'm going to keep Snuffles here, for tonight. You may come back   
to see him later, if he behaves," she said, giving the Animagus a dark   
look.  
  
Alone, except for Poppy, me, Mrs. Norris and Azoth, Black   
Transfigured back to his human shape. His grey, shabby robe was sopping   
wet. The Animagus was rubbing his back, looking pained.  
  
"Overdoing things a bit, were you?" Poppy growled as she hurried   
over to him. "Worse than a puppy, you are! Don't know the meaning of the   
words `take things easy!' What happened?"  
  
Black looked embarrassed. "Some of the children were throwing   
sticks into the lake, so I started fetching them out. Just for   
exercise..."  
  
Poppy frowned at him.  
  
"I have to keep myself fit, don't I? Wouldn't want to start   
putting on weight," Black continued, wryly.   
  
This earned him an even bigger frown from the medi-witch. In spite   
of all the food that Snuffles received at the Castle, the Animagus   
remained too thin.  
  
"Well," Black continued, sheepishly, "one thing led to another.   
Soon, I started catching the sticks as the children were throwing them   
in. Only, on the last catch, I think I may have... er... twisted my back   
a bit."  
  
I winced as my sore back gave a sympathetic twinge. Poor, playful   
idiot. He really wasn't healed enough for such antics.  
  
Poppy helped the Animagus out of his wet robe. Rapidly, she   
conjured him a dry robe, and two large, fluffy towels. Black wrapped one   
towel around his waist, and Poppy began rubbing his hair dry with the   
other.  
  
As soon as the Animagus had pulled on the dry robe, Poppy waved   
her wand again.  
  
"A hot bath is just what you need..." she said.  
  
A huge metal washtub appeared on the floor in front of the beds,   
with a loud BANG.  
  
"What? In that?" Sirius protested, sounding as if he'd regressed   
down to age eleven. "Remember when Snape got hurt? You didn't make   
*him*..."  
  
"Severus is neither a wanted man, nor an Animagus," Poppy said,   
sternly. "Now, how else would I be expected to give a dog a bath?"  
  
*******  
  
Poppy summoned six large buckets. Soon there was a chain of   
buckets floating back and forth from the small bathroom at the end of   
the ward, each one full of steaming water to pour into the washtub.  
  
The metal tub filled up, slowly.  
  
"I'm going to fetch some healing potions to mix in your   
bathwater," Poppy said, sternly, to Black. "Do not go anywhere!"   
  
With a meek nod, the Animagus settled himself gingerly onto an   
empty bed.  
  
Keeping his human form, for the time being, Black watched the   
floating hot water buckets as if hypnotized.  
  
"I hope that they'll stop bringing water when the tub is full," he   
said. "Lily took us to see this Muggle film. There was a sorceror, and a   
mouse..."  
  
I had no idea what Black was talking about.   
  
Poor little Azoth had my attention at the moment. The small black   
cat had leaped down from my bed and padded over to the nearest wall.   
  
Scratching at the wall, he mewed plaintively.  
  
He'd been doing that from time to time, ever since I'd been well   
enough to take proper notice of him. I didn't understand what he wanted.  
  
Both Mrs. Norris and Minerva had witnessed his behavior. They   
clearly knew what Azoth was after, but neither one would tell me.   
  
Mrs. Norris had always responded to Azoth's wall-scratching with a   
scolding hiss, and Minerva had frowned at the kitten.  
  
"He's hardly well enough yet..." Minerva had told Azoth.  
  
"Never mind what he wants, Argus, you're supposed to be resting,"   
Professor McGonagall had said to me, sternly, when I'd questioned her.  
  
My curiosity was definitely piqued. But, I'd never had much luck   
at winning arguments with either Mrs. Norris or Minerva. I certainly   
wasn't about to take on the pair of them, together.  
  
But, Azoth wasn't giving up. He'd found a new, and possibly   
sympathetic ear. He mewed plaintively at Black.  
  
"Do you understand what he wants?" I asked the Animagus.  
  
"He wants you to go and fetch his basket for him," Sirius said.  
  
"His... oh!" I said. "Poor little lad... is that all you wanted?   
Your Mum and your Auntie Minerva mean well, but I'm sure that I can   
manage that much."  
  
With a guilty glance after Poppy, I sat up. Very carefully, I slid   
myself out of bed. I felt as if someone had used a very strong jelly-  
legs curse on me. The floor seemed like it was a mile away.   
  
I'd already summoned black-and-yellow. The Door had appeared on   
the wall in front of Azoth, only two steps away.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Black asked me. His tone was a   
blend of amusement and concern.  
  
"Why, to fetch his basket, of course," I said, gruffly. "Poppy   
told *you* not to go anywhere. She didn't say a word to me!"  
  
"Only because she never imagined that you'd wander off..." Black   
pointed out, reasonably.  
  
"That's completely beside the point! I'll be right back," I   
replied.   
  
Then I half fell, half staggered, through black-and-yellow.  
  
*******  
  
Helga Hufflepuff's sunlit workroom never seems to change. Always   
friendly, clean and inviting, with lovely tapestries on the walls, a   
small, cheerfully splashing marble fountain, and colorful rugs on the   
floor.  
  
The rugs were soft and thick, as well as colorful. I was truly   
glad of that. Landing in a heap on a hard, stone floor would have been   
painful, otherwise.  
  
Azoth and Mrs. Norris had accompanied me through the Door. Mother   
and son nudged me in concern. Mrs. Norris hissed indignantly, first at   
Azoth, and then at me.  
  
I was sure that poor Black was going to get an earful from Mrs.   
Norris, for translating the kitten's request, when we returned to the   
hospital ward. And Poppy, if she returned before I did, wasn't going to   
be very pleased with me either.  
  
But, poor Azoth... all his brothers and sisters had gone, and   
still no Severus! The kitten had to be worried about his wizard.   
Merlin's Beard, I certainly was...   
  
Fetching the basket was such a small thing and it would comfort   
the kitten.  
  
Azoth trotted over to the basket, which was by the distaff.   
Rubbing up against it, he purred like a miniature thunderstorm.  
  
"It is quite a nice basket, really..." I told Mrs. Norris. "Large,   
plain and sturdy. And there's plenty of room for him to grow into it.   
Severus doesn't have to *know* that it's Helga Hufflepuff's old   
workbasket. I won't tell, if you won't."  
  
Now, all I had to do was reach the thing. The few tottering steps   
I'd already managed had left me very weak. It occurred to me that   
Minerva and Mrs. Norris had been right. I wasn't really up to this.   
  
But, having made it to Helga's Workroom already, I was determined   
not to leave without Azoth's basket.  
  
I had to crawl. Finally, basket in hand, I paused to catch my   
breath. It had been nearly a week and a half now since Hagrid had   
brought me out of the Forest. My strength was returning so slowly.  
  
"The thing you fear will happen, before the start of summer,"   
Professor Trelawney had predicted.  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione had tried to ease my fears. But I could   
not dismiss the Divination Professor's words as easily as the children   
seemed to be able to do.  
  
What if I never regained my strength? What if I could never resume   
my duties?  
  
I was already afraid for Severus, and now I was terrified for   
myself too. Burying my face in my hands, I trembled.  
  
Suddenly, as if in response to my fear and helplessness, there was   
a change in the air. A tingle of magic ran down my spine. Something   
inhuman, ancient and incredibly powerful, was stirring.  
  
My first inclination was to shrink away in shame.   
  
The Headmaster had said that the Castle would not be angry with   
Its Caretaker, but I'd been weak and disloyal. And now I was probably   
useless into the bargain.  
  
No. Minerva had told me that I was brave. She was being overly   
generous, of course. But she'd also said, truthfully, that I'd done my   
best and fought as hard as I could.  
  
Let the Castle decide if I was worthy or not. I knew that I would   
be Caretaker as long as the Castle would have me. Giving in to the   
magic, I let it wash over me.  
  
Four times, in recent months, I had endured these experiences.   
Each time the power had blazed through me, leaving me wrung out,   
battered and exhausted.   
  
This time was different. Only the smallest fragment of the magic   
touched me. It was gentle, like a soft breeze against my face.  
  
When it faded, I felt a little stronger. Just enough to be able to   
return to black-and-yellow. Carrying the basket and accompanied by Azoth   
and Mrs. Norris, I stumbled through, back into the hospital ward.  
  
Sirius Black was there to take my arm before I could fall.  
  
"I was about to come in after you..." the Animagus told me, wryly.   
He took the basket's handle in one hand, and helped me wobble to my bed,   
with the other.  
  
"I do hope you're joking," I said. "Even if you're not, it would   
be impossible for you to go in on your own, thank Merlin. Mind your   
back! You wouldn't want to twist it again..."  
  
"Falling from the West Tower was unpleasant. But the Door? I   
wouldn't mind giving *that* another go..." Black said, with every sign   
of sincerity.   
  
"It wasn't that bad..."  
  
"Gryffindors!" I thought, glowering.  
  
I wanted to scold him, but Mrs. Norris was already taking care of   
that. Though Azoth was purring and rubbing against Black's ankles, which   
balanced things out.  
  
When Poppy returned with the potions she'd gone to fetch, she   
found me settled back in my bed, looking weary. Mrs. Norris was curled   
up beside me, still looking indignant.   
  
Black had shifted to his dog form. Like a good dog, he was waiting   
patiently by the now-filled tub.   
  
Azoth was in his basket, which Black had placed on the floor by my   
bed. Poppy noticed the basket and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.   
  
*******  
  
I drifted off to sleep, concerned about Severus, though my dreams   
were untroubled.  
  
It was Severus's voice that woke me.  
  
"You... LOUT! Stop that!!!" Snape roared.  
  
"Bad Snuffles!" Poppy scolded.  
  
I opened my eyes to see one very wet dog and two very wet people.  
  
The newly bathed dog-Animagus had emerged from the washtub and had   
apparently attempted to shake himself dry. Poppy hadn't minded much, as   
she was already thoroughly soaked.  
  
Severus, on the other hand, was both dripping and livid.  
  
That was the first thing that I noticed about him. The second   
thing was the scent of strawberries with a hint of lemon that surrounded   
him.  
  
"Professor...?"  
  
He sighed, still glaring at Black.   
  
"Yes, Filch, I am using a glamour. I could hardly walk through the   
Castle, looking like this..."  
  
He took out his wand and removed the glamour spell.  
  
With a start, I realized that the "scent" of the glamour had been   
masking other magical traces.   
  
Without the glamour, poor Severus had the scent of a wizard who   
had just been in a magical battle. Traces of powerful magic, both his   
own and those of another strong mage, lingered about him.  
  
And the poor man was covered with awful scratches! He looked if   
he'd been mauled by an army of cats!  
  
Or perhaps, just one really big cat.  
  
Knowing, through sad experience, how uncomfortable he must feel, I   
winced in sympathy.  
  
Poppy said a word that I didn't think she knew and started   
gathering her bottles of healing potions and salves.  
  
Dragging Severus over to a bed, she began cleaning his wounds.   
  
Snape submitted to this treatment with stoic forbearance.  
  
Black, taking his human shape and slipping into a dry robe,   
grinned at the wet, bloody Potions Master.  
  
"So, who looks worse? You or the other fellow?" the Animagus   
wanted to know.  
  
"What?" Snape snarled.  
  
"Does Dear Old Lucius have a tail?"   
  
The Animagus seemed to be having a difficult time keeping a   
straight face.  
  
Snape glowered.   
  
"Yes, he does, as a matter of fact. How did you...? Ah, never   
mind. You needn't tell me. I can guess. I might have known it was   
you..."  
  
Black smiled, mysteriously.  
  
I knew that he had not been the primary architect of this   
particular mischief. That honor belonged to Ron Weasley, aided and   
abetted by Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.   
  
However, the Animagus clearly thought it would be safer for the   
young Gryffindors, if Severus assumed that he was to blame.   
  
I agreed with Black. Lucius Malfoy could never force Severus to   
reveal the true culprits, if the Potions Master never knew who they   
were.  
  
On the other hand... Lucius Malfoy had resources other than his   
connections in the Death Eaters. He was a wizard of wealth and power,   
while Sirius Black was a wanted fugitive. I hoped that Malfoy would   
never question Severus as to who was responsible for his condition...   
for both Severus's sake and Black's.  
  
The Potions Master gave the Animagus a very caustic glare. "You   
were expecting something like this!"  
  
"Lucius appears to have been a bit ... distraught." Black said,   
cheerfully, not really answering the question.  
  
"To put it mildly," Snape said, in a sour voice.   
  
"When I told him that the effects would simply have to wear off,   
in their own good time, he didn't take the news very well. In fact, he   
became quite irate..."  
  
Poppy muttered something unintelligible and angry, as she began   
cleaning a group of five diagonal slashes across the Potions Master's   
face.  
  
"It's his own fault, really," Snape continued, trying not to   
flinch.   
  
He was still glowering at Black, but now, the traces of a rather   
wicked little smile were beginning to linger around his mouth.   
  
"I could have told the arrogant fool that the hair he'd used in   
the Polyjuice potion was not what he thought it was!"  
  
"Do you mean that there's a way to tell?" Black asked him.  
  
"Yes, of course there is!" Snape said, smugly.   
  
"There is a very subtle difference in the normal hissing and   
frothing reaction. Quite plain to the educated eye. In, fact, judging   
from the rather interesting after-effects, I'd have to say that the hair   
he used was a cat hair, Transfigured to appear human."  
  
"You mean that the Transfiguration spell mucked the potion up even   
more?" Black asked, grinning.   
  
Snape nodded.  
  
"Lucius had a tail and claws, obviously," Black muttered, watching   
Poppy cleaning a nasty looking gash on Snape's jaw. "What else? Fur all   
over his face?'  
  
"Not only his face. Everywhere." Snape's wicked little smile was   
back.  
  
"Cat's eyes?" Black wanted to know.  
  
"Yes... not to mention cat's teeth. And cat's ears."  
  
"Hmmm. Sounds terrible."  
  
"Dreadful." Snape agreed.  
  
"How long do you think that the effects will last? Two weeks?   
Three?" Black wanted to know.  
  
"Perhaps a month." Snape's wicked smile had gotten a bit bigger.  
  
"That's what I told poor Narcissa, when she asked," he continued.   
  
"She was quite beside herself. Though she seemed to be managing   
capably enough. She was able to distract Lucius, so I could escape..."  
  
"What did she do, offer him a bowl of cream? Or tempt him with a   
catnip mouse?" Black had begun to laugh, helplessly.  
  
"Something along those lines, I think." Snape was trying very hard   
to keep a straight face, but he seemed to be losing the battle.  
  
Both young wizards were suddenly laughing together like a pair of   
children.  
  
Poppy and I stared, first at Black and Snape, and then at each   
other, in astonishment.   
  
No one in the Castle was ever going to believe this.  
  
Black finally stopped laughing when his back started hurting him.  
  
"S-Serves old Lucius right, really..." he gasped.  
  
"Yes..." Snape caught his breath. The word was almost a hiss. "It   
most certainly does."  
  
His dark eyes were suddenly full of pain. I could tell that he was   
thinking of Draco.  
  
"Snape? Minerva knows. About the Transfigured hair. She was a bit   
curious as to what the effects might be. She'd appreciate hearing about   
them from you..." Black said. He grinned, wryly.  
  
"Perhaps the two of you ought to collaborate on a paper..!"   
Heedless of his aching back, the incorrigible Animagus was laughing   
again.  
  
In spite of himself, Snape smiled. "Perhaps, one day we shall.   
However, I have more immediate concerns."  
  
Thanking Poppy for patching him up, the Potions Master came over   
to my bed.  
  
'Argus," he said, gravely. "I mean it this time. Avoid Lucius in   
the future. Do not allow yourself to be anywhere near him. He does not   
know how you managed to trick him, but he's still blaming you."  
  
I sighed. "Yes, Professor."  
  
Snape gave me a caustic glower. The expression looked even more   
fearsome than usual on his battered face.  
  
"That's what you said last time!" he told me, irritably.  
  
Then, Severus crouched down to stroke Azoth, who stirred sleepily   
in his basket.   
  
The black kitten purred.  
  
"He was worried about you. Thought you weren't coming," I said.  
  
"Foolish creature. I always keep my appointments," Severus said,   
rubbing fondly under the kitten's chin.   
  
Restoring the glamour that hid his scratches, the Potions Master   
picked up kitten and basket together.  
  
Black was grinning again.   
  
Severus regarded him, coolly. "Come, Azoth. I'd best take you   
home. It wouldn't do for you to pick up bad habits, or fleas, hanging   
about here!"  
  
*******  
  
"Well, that's it then. Down to just you and me..." I said.  
  
Mrs. Norris was curled up on my stomach, looking wistful.  
  
"It's not like you won't be seeing them again..." I comforted her.   
"There's still a few weeks yet before the end of the term. And they'll   
be back next year, won't they? Now, all I have to do is ask Professor   
Flitwick to put a new anti-estrus Charm on you..."  
  
She blinked her golden eyes at me, in a rather non-committal sort   
of way.  
  
"As soon as possible...!" I said.  
  
  
  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Well, this one's done. I'm going to take a break for at   
least a few weeks now and get caught up on some housework...  
  
  
Melodie: Thank you!!  
  
Pendragon: Thank you!!  
  
RADKA: Thank you!! Your mention of "An Exercise in Cruelty" reminds me   
that I read the story a long time ago and was totally awed by it. I   
wonder if the author ever finished it?  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Your comments about Draco's smirk "quivering" was   
intriguing. I hope that Rowling was showing that Draco was a bit   
ambivalent.  
  
Alchemine: Thank you!! I've often seen Draco described as the "Brat   
Prince," so I tried to emphasize the "Prince" rather than the "Brat."   
  
Emma: Thank you!!  
  
AET: Thank you!! Hagrid was making a blanket for Fluffy. Filch was   
worried that Hagrid was going to give the ugly thing to him, because he   
didn't think he could manage to say something kind about it.  
  
Lataradk: Thank you!! Ah, the melted cheese. We keep tureens of hot   
melted cheese at our serving stations, to spoon over vegetables and   
french-fried potatoes. One of my co-workers, (aged 76) dropped a full   
pot of hot cheese on the floor. She was lucky not to have been burned,   
but the mess was incredible. The cheese shot out of the pot like a   
mushroom shaped cloud. Everyone in the kitchen had to help clean up.   
Being relatively young and agile (in my thirties, rather than my   
seventies) I was the lucky person who got to climb on top of her serving   
station and clean the ceiling.  
  
Eeew! Cleaning up vomit is far worse than cheese! Just thinking about   
the smell makes me nauseous.  
  
I'd like to write a story that has a bigger part for Draco's Amazing   
Brutes, but I haven't had any ideas yet.  
  
Both Sirus and Argus would be surprised to hear the word "friendship"   
used in reference to them. Sirius thinks that the old man isn't nearly   
as bad as he remembers, and Argus is glad that Sirius has managed to   
mature, at least a little.  
  
Sirius and Severus can cooperate, because Dumbledore has asked it of   
them, especially when they are standing on common ground. They would   
never admit it, but they do share a grudging respect.   
  
Congratulations to your brother, on his graduation!  
  
Branaugh does look GREAT as Lockhart. Oh, I can't wait for that dueling   
scene...  
  
"Millicent's cat" was a reference to what happened to poor Hermione in   
"Chamber of Secrets" when she used what she thought was Millicent   
Bullstrode's hair in her portion of polyjuice potion. The hair was   
actually from Millicent's cat.  
  
Fortunately for both Filch and Callandra, Lucius doesn't know that   
Squibs can sense magic building up before spells are cast.  
  
Filch broke through his Obliviate spell because his spell wasn't as   
strong as the Obliviate that Lucius used on Draco. (Lucius didn't mind   
if Filch broke through the Memory Charm because he still wouldn't be   
able to talk about what had happened.)  
  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!! Yes, Lucius turned into a real pussycat! Poor   
Baby...  
  
Neville plotted so well, and so carefully in your story that I could   
picture the Hat offering him a shot at Slytherin...  
  
Elspeth: Thank you!! Yes, Draco doesn't consider telling a house-elf the   
same as telling a "person." Draco kept protesting that he hadn't hurt   
Winky because he knows how people see him.  
  
The way I imagine it, Draco has been taught that "good" servants and   
"good" house-elves should be looked after and protected. A responsible   
"master" rewards loyalty.  
  
I love the image of Severus in a deerstalker, with Pomfrey as Watson!  
  
Yes, Neville and Callandra feel terrible, but they don't know that Filch   
tried to jump out of the Owlery window. The suicide attempt isn't common   
knowledge. All they know is that he "fell" while under the influence of   
the double-Curse. (Neville suspects, though.)  
  
I would like nothing better than to have Argus and Minerva just fall   
into each other's arms, but both characters seem to want to move very   
slowly.  
  
If Sirius and Argus were told that they had a great deal in common they   
would both be appalled.  
  
Sirius: I am NOT an old grouch!  
Filch: I am NOT a young fool!  
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!  
  
Rabbit and Jinx: Thank you and Thank you!!!! I loved your musical   
version of the Confrontation on the Hogwarts express at the end of   
Goblet of Fire!!!  
  
The question was, "will the fact that the animal hair is Transfigured   
make the side effects of polyjuice-gone-wrong any worse than using a   
regular animal hair?" And the answer was "Yes." 


	10. Healing and Moving On

Squib Puppet  
a Harry Potter fan-fic  
by Ozma  
a sequel to "A Squib's Proper Place"  
Epilogue: Healing and Moving On  
Everything in this story really belongs to J.K. Rowling  
  
  
  
  
It was a sunny, warm Hogsmeade weekend. The Castle grounds were   
nearly empty. Almost every student above second year had gone to the   
village. Clusters of first and second years roamed the grounds, but none   
of them were near me.  
  
I'd chosen a secluded bit of the lake's shoreline to walk to.   
Shaded by trees and hidden by bushes, this spot was chilly in spite of   
the warm sunlight glittering like gold across the water. The chill   
didn't bother me. Nor did the slight breeze. Walking from the Castle to   
the lake had left me tired and sweaty. The wind felt pleasantly cool.  
  
I would rest here for a while until I felt strong enough to walk   
back to the Castle. Summoning a Door was always another option, but I   
needed the exercise. I wanted to rebuild my strength.  
  
My reflection in the water was blurred by the wind. I didn't mind.   
No one had ever called me handsome, but I'd always been sturdy. Now, two   
very serious encounters with Lucius Malfoy in the past six months had   
taken a toll on me. Whenever I could bring myself to glance in a mirror,   
I saw a frail old man. The image frightened me.  
  
Poppy had released me from the hospital wing on the condition that   
I was not allowed to do anything more strenuous than paperwork. Bored, I   
had flung myself into my backlog of forms with a vengeance.   
  
After my own work was reasonably caught up, I had started on the   
kitchen inventory records for the house-elves. In addition to taking   
inventory of perishable supplies, each elf had made notes regarding   
equipment that needed to be mended or replaced over the summer holiday,   
which was fast approaching. Those items needed to be entered on forms as   
well.  
  
Doing the house-elves' paperwork seemed only fair, as the elves   
were currently handling my cleaning chores as well as their own.  
  
House-elves are mysterious creatures. I don't know how to tell an   
old elf from a young one. But, Browly had to be among the oldest elves   
in the Castle. When Apollyon Pringle had first taken me on as his   
apprentice, Browly was among the elves who had fed me my meals in the   
kitchen. She was one of the elves who had tried to comfort me whenever   
I'd disappointed the old man or made him angry.   
  
Slowly the passing years had changed me from a cranky, bitter   
young man to a cranky, bitter old man. But Browly looked and acted   
exactly the same.  
  
"You is not any getting stronger sitting at a desk, Argus Filch!"   
the old elf scolded me when she came to pick up the completed forms.   
"Enough writing! Tis exercise you is needing! Outside! In sunshine!!"  
  
Hermione Granger thinks that house elves are downtrodden and ought   
to be liberated from their lives of toil and slavery. Hermione is   
Muggle-born. I doubt that she's ever been bullied by a house-elf.   
  
Albus Dumbledore is the only one that the Castle's elves call   
"Master." Everyone else is pretty much at their mercy. If a house-elf   
decides that they know what is best for you, then you don't have a   
chance.   
  
Obeying Browly, I'd gone for a walk. The elf had been right, it   
did feel good to work up a bit of a sweat. I did not feel up to walking   
back to the Castle just yet, so I decided to take a nap.  
  
*******  
  
I was awakened by a soft rustling in the grass near the lakeshore.   
Two cats padded swiftly towards me. One was thin and grey, the other was   
a sleek tabby. A heartbeat later, Minerva McGonagall shifted to her   
human shape.  
  
"I was looking for you, Argus," Minerva said. She leaned over to   
stroke Mrs. Norris. "Thank you for helping me find him."  
  
My cat purred and jumped into my lap, as Minerva sat on the ground   
beside us.  
  
The day had grown chillier while I'd been sleeping. Sliding my   
coat off my shoulders, I put it around Minerva.  
  
Later, it occurred to me that she could have simply used a heating   
Charm. But she seemed content with my coat. She tucked part of the coat   
around me too. Her body was pleasantly warm beside mine. For a time we   
simply stayed beside each other, quietly.  
  
"I promised Alastor Moody that I would discuss something with   
you," Professor McGonagall said, after a while.  
  
I frowned, knowing what Moody must be after.   
  
"He wants me to take you through a Door, doesn't he? Tell him I   
won't. Better yet, I'll tell him myself. I'm going to use some language   
you won't want to repeat! He won't be content until I've incapacitated   
everyone in the Castle! I nearly killed poor Snuffles!"  
  
"No, it was falling from the West Tower that nearly killed both of   
you," Minerva pointed out, reasonably.   
  
"Snuffles told me that going through the Door itself wasn't so   
bad," she continued. "He recovered from the after-effects quickly. And   
he suffered no nausea. He was only knocked unconscious and forced back   
into his human form."  
  
"Only?!" I growled, upset by the idea of such a thing happening to   
her. Seeing Black lying unconscious had been bad enough.  
  
Minerva shook her head at me. "Both Snuffles and I learned to   
endure similar unpleasant things while studying to become Animagi," she   
explained.  
  
"You may not know this, Argus," she continued, "but Moody has   
asked everyone that you've taken through a Door to write a brief account   
of their experiences for him."   
  
"Moody, Snuffles, Neville and Ginny have all completed their own   
accounts. Poor Severus is still working on his. Having read about the   
others' experiences, I'm most curious about the Doors. As well as eager   
to add my own impressions."  
  
"And, not a word from you about curiosity and cats!" she added,   
acerbically, as I opened my mouth.  
  
Mrs. Norris reinforced that sentiment, by giving me a baleful   
stare.  
  
"If anything happened to you I'd never forgive myself!" I told   
her.  
  
"Do not worry about me, Argus," Minerva said.  
  
"I'm not worried," she assured me. "I trust you to bring me safely   
through to the other side."  
  
I couldn't answer. Her lack of fear and her faith in me left me   
overwhelmed and speechless.  
  
"I will promise to keep my claws in," she assured me, gravely.  
  
That earned her a wry smile from me.  
  
Minerva pressed her advantage. "I'm sure that you can see the   
sense in choosing a traveling companion who is small enough to carry. I   
won't have to bite your arm to avoid getting lost."   
  
Her hand rested gently on my left arm. The wound was healed now,   
and the scars would fade, eventually.  
  
I sighed. "Professor, you are a true Gryffindor. You know that,   
don't you?"  
  
"Why thank you, Argus," she said, sweetly.   
  
I frowned.  
  
Her eyes twinkled. She knew perfectly well that I hadn't meant it   
as a compliment. But she sensed defeat and acquiescence in my manner.   
  
Alastor Moody, I thought wryly, was a true Slytherin. He'd sent   
Professor McGonagall to discuss this with me, knowing that I would have   
been able to keep on stubbornly refusing anyone else but it's very   
difficult for me to say "No" to Minerva.  
  
"Of course, I will tell Moody that we'll have to wait until you're   
feeling up to it," Professor McGonagall said, reasonably. She's always   
gracious in victory.  
  
"It shouldn't be too long of a wait. You look so much better than   
you did..." she said, studying me.  
  
A little embarrassed by her scrutiny, I turned my attention to   
petting Mrs. Norris. Perhaps it was my imagination, or maybe it was   
wishful thinking, but Minerva was not looking at me as if she saw a   
frail old man. I thought I saw affection in her eyes. And perhaps   
something more.  
  
"It's getting late. I suppose that we ought to head back." I said,   
gruffly.  
  
Climbing gracefully to her feet, my coat still around her, Minerva   
reached down to help me up.  
  
I told myself not to be a fool. Professor McGonagall was a lovely   
woman, a powerful witch. I was fortunate that she considered me a   
friend. Wanting any more would be ridiculous. I might as well wish for   
the moon...   
  
She was the Deputy Headmistress, for Merlin's sake...  
  
Her hand remained in mine, even though I was standing.  
  
Hands clasped, Minerva and I walked towards the Castle. When I   
glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Mrs. Norris was following, I   
discovered that my cat was observing us.  
  
She looked rather smug.  
  
The End  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
  
  
Wow, did I mss ff.net when it was down! I'm glad that it's back!  
  
  
Blue Moon: Thank you!! I wasn't able to go without writing completely...   
I did do a short epilogue. But the next story hasn't been started yet.   
It's still busy forming in my head.  
  
Elspeth: Thank you!! Yes, Mrs. Norris was trying to do a bit of   
matchmaking. She likes and approves of Minerva.  
  
Your exchange between Severus and Sirius made me laugh!! It's so   
perfect!! I wish I'd thought of it...  
  
Emma: Thank you!! Yes, it may be a few more weeks before my next story.   
So far my summer has been pretty busy.  
  
Tina: Thank you!!  
  
Elektra: Thank you!! I hope that Draco eventually rejects Lucius's path   
and makes his own. But that's up to Rowling.  
  
Remus is one of my favorite characters. I have idea-fragments with him,   
but no complete stories, as of yet. Thank you for letting me know about   
your new chapter!! (I think I reviewed it before ff.net went down.)  
  
Jelsemium: Thank you!! Your exchange between Poppy, Filch and Sirius   
made me laugh!!  
  
Lataradk: Thank you!! I love the idea of Sirius sending Lucius a rubber   
mouse as a get-well gift!!  
  
Both Argus and Minerva are beginning to get a clue, I think.  
  
Lizard of Fire: Thank you!!  
  
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!!  
  
Demeter: Thank you!! Poor Narcissa indeed. (She thinks Lucius's purring   
is rather cute, but the shedding bothers her.)  
  
Redone: Thank you!! Yes, Lucius is the pale-haired Dark wizard and   
Severus is the dark haired pale wizard! I like that!  
  
Besnaped: Thank you!! The story with Snape and Azoth is still taking   
shape in my head, but I'll write it as soon as it "solidifies..." 


End file.
